9/1/05
For my first blog entry, I want to describe myself and how excited I am about the upcoming college football season. I am a freshman living in Stuart Halls in East. I come from a town near Baltimore, MD, and decided to come to Penn State to challenge myself and receive a valuable education. My interests are all sports, weightlifting, meeting new people, and being exposed to a variety of things, because I cannot stand repetition. Football Eve is this Friday, and it seems like a big deal with everyone talking about it as well as i got a free shirt that has a picture of Santa's sleigh being pulled along by a Penn State bus. I have never been to a Penn State football game; however, I have heard that it is a life-changing experience. I am also looking forward to following a new conference in college sports, the Big Ten, as I grew up cheering for the Terps of Maryland and the ACC. The college football season officially kicked off tonight, with South Carolina playing Central Florida. I can connect to this game because South Carolina's first year coach, Steve Spurrier, is the former coach of my favorite NFL team, the Washington Redskins(laugh all you want). Aside from football, I express my sorrows for the people in Louisiana and Mississippi who were hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. The number of deaths is likely in thousands, and relief efforts will occur for months. This hurricane has an effect on many aspects of our society, including the economy and gasoline. I do not have to drive for a while since I live on campus, but I have heard complaints of the price of gasoline rising 40 cents in one day. My thoughts are with those who are experiencing this massacre.
Why I picked my license:
9/1/05
I decided to use the "Sampling License: Some Rights Reserved". I picked this license simply because the regular Creative Commons licenses sounded boring to me. The sampling license appealed to me because people can use my work for non-commercial purposes and maybe make it famous. With this is mind, I chose the option of modifications allowed as long as I get credit and others share alike. I honestly do not mind if people use my work legally; however, I oppose all of the stealing going on in the music downloading world today. If someone illegally obtained my work and took credit for it, I would be offended and would take action. With this license, I feel safe and secure that my work will be modified by trustworthy readers.
As I sat in the first class, I paid special attention to the discussion of plagiarism. To add to my thoughts, I can gain ideas from my peers and turn the ideas into my own pieces of work. Likewise, if other people would like to use my work, I am perfectly okay with it. I believe that this is a major reason for this whole "blogging" project, so people can share their ideas.
Self Narrative
9/5/05
It all began the summer before my junior year of high school. As the soccer season was about to begin, I had already felt like it was a drag. Our class of players had won a total of one game over the past two seasons, and we were now to compete on the varsity level. An opportunity arose to play football that fall, and the rewards from taking advantage of this opportunity are endless. While playing football, I have never felt more like myself, and I feel like that is what I need to be doing. I have received numerous college football interest letters, and if I could do anything without failing, it would be to play football in college.
The day before soccer tryouts of my junior year, an opportunity arose out of nowhere that would change my life forever. I logged onto AOL Instant Messenger the night before tryouts and the captain of the football team told me that the team needed a kicker. I was stunned. I devoted that entire summer to soccer, attending numerous camps and conditioning practices, but I had always wanted to play football and here was my chance. He told me the details, and I decided to try kicking the next day after soccer tryouts.
The day before soccer tryouts of my junior year, an opportunity arose out of nowhere that would change my life forever. I logged onto AOL Instant Messenger the night before tryouts and the captain of the football team told me that the team needed a kicker. I was stunned. I devoted that entire summer to soccer, attending numerous camps and conditioning practices, but I had always wanted to play football and here was my chance. He told me the details, and I decided to try kicking the next day after soccer tryouts.
Soccer tryouts did not go too swiftly. Aside from our team showing little improvement from the previous year, it appeared to be another losing season—I also had bruised toenails that were ready to fall off in result from conditioning camp. It seemed like forever until the tryout ended, and I walked down to the football field nervously. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my soccer coach’s truck drive by me and he was giving me a funny look. I had not told him previously that I wanted to try kicking, and I was scared without knowing what to say or do. In my hands I held a football tee and I was frozen in my tracks. My coach, responding to my frightened look, said surprised, “well, I didn’t expect this, but you have to pick a sport, football or soccer.” I told him that I just wanted to try kicking to see if I was any good, so we walked together down to the field. With every step, the butterflies in my stomach increased and the thought of a worn out soccer-leg from tryouts haunted me.
As we approached the football team, a few of my friends were stunned that a possible kicker arrived because they had no one else. At first, I tried a few kickoffs, which caught the coach’s eye. These kicks made the coach excited and we jogged over to the field goal posts to test my placekicking abilities. Next, I made about five field goals when the head coach offered me the spot quickly. I could see my soccer coach glaring at me and I did not know what to do. The special team’s coach, Mr. Kraus, who had coached my JV baseball team the previous spring, approached me and put his arm around me and asked me the hardest question I’ve ever had to answer. Coach Kraus asked, “Mike, do you want to play football?” Of course, the answer was “yes,” and I told the coaches I would have to talk to my parents about the whole idea. This made me nervous also because my mother never liked the idea of me playing football because she has seen many injuries that have occurred in the sport. As I left the football field, the coaches were ecstatic about finding a possible kicker and told me the next practice was at 7 a.m. the next morning, and to show up if I wanted to play.
When I got home that night, my mother was having a get-together, so I used this to my advantage because she was in a good mood. I hesitated before asking her if I could play, but she had no problem at all with it. She told me to follow my heart and do what I truly wanted to do. I knew the football team had a lot more potential for success than the soccer team, so I chose to play football.
I woke up with the sunrise that Saturday morning to attend the early football practice. The coaches jumped out of their seats with excitement and took me to find my pads. They were happy that not only did they have a kicker, but also I was only a junior at the time so they figured they would have me for two years. I earned the position of place-kicker, kicking field goals and extra points, and kickoff duties. With each and every practice, my leg got stronger, and I improved with every kick. After about a week of practice, the head coach told me he wanted me to attend every practice rather than just coming a few times a week like ordinary kickers do. He told me this because he had heard from the other coaches that I was very athletic, and he wanted me to play receiver as well. As the season progressed, our team won the majority of our games, which made my love for football expand greatly. Our team made the State Semi-finals and broke almost every record in school history, finishing with a record of 11 wins and 2 losses. I scored fifty total points throughout the season and broke the kicking record.
This football experience taught me to always take advantage of the opportunities that arise because I never know the successes that may follow. I won numerous awards my senior year and faced a hard decision of whether or not to go to college to play football or to come to Penn State. Obviously, I picked Penn State, but I will always carry this lesson with me in life.
Other narratives: [IslandGirlBlog] [StarrySkiesBlog]
Blog #2
9/6/05
To begin classes this week, I had calculus at 8 a.m. and my first quiz. I don't think it was that hard, because it was basically all of the stuff I remember from Pre-Calculus that I had in high school. However, I have already looked at the next section in the book, and it already seems hard. I did not have any calculus in high school, and I am regretting not taking it already. This class will probably be my toughest, as I will have to study hard and work through the tedious problems.
I have the regular Calc course three times a week in a class with over 100 people, and then once a week I have a recitation class in a smaller atmosphere. In this smaller class, we review the week's work and have quizzes that count as a large portion of our grade. Moreover, in this recitation class, my professor has a strong accent and I have a hard time attempting to understand him along with everyone else in my class. The motivation for this course that I carry along with me is as long as I do well, this is the last calculus I will ever have to take. With this is mind, I will work through this dreaded branch of mathematics with a hopeful end in sight.
Yo I took calc in high school, so if you need any help let me know. I can't guarantee I'll remember everything, but I can try--Veritas
Blog #3
9/7/05
During my PSU 006 Business Seminar class today, we had a discussion about why we came to college and what our fears were. My answers to these questions were: I came to college for the opportunities and higher salary compared to a salary I would receive from just having a high school diploma, and my fear was failing in two different ways. I am almost positive I won’t fail out of college since I am a hard and dedicated worker, but if I gain my degree and then fail to get a good job, all of this time would be a waste. Our Teacher’s Assistant who is a junior at Penn State told us a few stories about high executives coming to the university and telling the students what big businesses expect. They don’t just look for GPA, they look for a well-rounded student, who performs several internships, is involved in clubs, and other organizations at their university. Sure, being well-rounded was easy for me to be in high school, with all of the sports I played and clubs I was in; but college is different. I can’t be on three sports teams and be in numerous clubs that easily.
I decided to go to the Smeal College Information Session in the Heritage Hall to learn about clubs and organizations I could join. Since I plan to major in accounting, I visited “The Accounting Society.” This is a club that gives the opportunity to talk with potential employers, faculty, and other students to discuss their future industry. There is no dues that have to be paid for this club which is excellent, and all I have to do to become an active member is attend three meetings between now and November. I figure that this would be an easy and effective way to become involved in the university and maybe obtain a leadership position in my junior or senior year, which will let employers see how well-rounded I really am.
Blog #4
9/8/05
It is hard to believe that I have been at college for two weeks now. I have adjusted well and have already met great friends and have had a lot of fun. I live in Stuart Hall, and this is the only thing that I can’t stand. The friends that I have in here are cool, but it’s an all-male dorm and we usually have to step outside if we want to see any signs of a female. To add to this, when I actually have a girl friend over, the floor goes crazy and bothers us and harasses me after she leaves to find out all of the “details”. It’s pretty sad that I’ve hung out with girls for a good portion of the nights here and they are too lazy to make an effort to hang out with one their selves.
I am also excited for this weekend’s football game against Cincinnati. Last week’s game was unbelievable as I got to sit in the front row. Looking ahead, people keep talking about the Ohio State game on October 8, and saying even if we aren’t good this year, that it will make our season if we beat the Buckeyes. Ohio State plays Texas this weekend in Columbus for huge national championship implications, since Ohio State and Texas are both ranked in the top 5.This game will tell us Penn State fans if we have any chance on October 8; however, I already think that we have a chance to beat the Buckeyes because we have an experienced team.
Blog #5
9/9/05
This is my catch-up blog, as it is my second one of the day. I am going to praise Napster. During middle school, when I first found out about Napster I downloaded so many songs and burned many CDs. Then all of the legal issues banned users from using this program, and many other illegal downloading services arose. I used several of these; however, the songs and file sharing often contained viruses that made my computer really slow and have other serious problems.
Now that I am at Penn State, I have a safe, legal way to download songs with Napster. Penn State and Napster have a partnership and allows students to download as many songs and albums as they want. If students wish to burn songs onto a CD or burn a whole album onto a CD, they must pay the money. It costs nothing to keep the songs in your library and it is very convenient. Tonight, I downloaded some of the most random songs of artists that I haven’t even heard of and I’m having a blast. I’m into every kind of music so my library is becoming massive. I hope that Penn State and Napster continue their partnership that allows us students to have this privilege.
Blog
9/11/05
Saturday afternoon following the football game, I took a nap until the start of the Texas vs. Ohio State game at 8 p.m. I was toasted from the sun and barely awake when my phone rang around the start of the Texas game. It was my sister, who said I “have a package waiting for me in the lobby of my residence hall.” I lost connection with her and was very confused. I called back about five minutes later and at that point she was impatient stating, “just come down to the lobby.” I ride the elevator down, and as the doors open, I see my two sisters and brother-in-law standing there with their arms open screaming. I had never been so surprised and confused at the same time in my life. They were at a crab feast all day, and decided to come up and visit their “baby brother.”
I asked them why they didn’t come upstairs to my door and knock, and they said they had enough trouble just finding my residence hall. I took them upstairs and introduced them to all my friends, but they were ready to go out. I decided to take them downtown and around frat row to show them how college life at Penn State is. Later in the night, we wandered back to my dorm, and my two sisters fell asleep on my bed while I was stuck sleeping on one blanket on the hard, cold floor. I could not sleep so I ended up going next door and hanging out with all the guys. We watched a movie, and ended up not going to bed until 8 a.m., when my family decided to leave. I walked them to their car, and managed to find my way back to my room where I slept until around 4 p.m. Now, I am stuck with a lot of work to do, trying not to be too distracted by the first NFL Sunday of the year.
CarpeDiemSelfNarrative remix
9/11/05
I took a deep breath and passed through the door’s threshold, certain that I now knew what is was like to pass beneath the archways of an old European castle. The letters, “South Carroll High School” prominently stood out in its black and gold colors. As I attempted to orient myself, I could not understand why everything appeared gigantic. Only a week ago I visited all of my classrooms, focused particularly upon memorizing the location of my homeroom, located in the science hallway. It bothered me greatly, therefore, when ten minutes had passed and I still could not locate the room. Luckily, I spotted a kid I recognized from orientation asking for help to find his class. Without him knowing, I followed behind until we finally found our homeroom, when I noticed that only about five students out of thirty had found our room. I was new to the area, and had only been inside the school two times before.
The building had loomed over me, its bricks doubling in size with every step. I looked forward to my first day of high school for several months, yet I felt like a nervous disaster. The last two weeks of my summer were spent practicing soccer with the junior-varsity team, yet that did not remove the fear of not knowing anyone. First impressions meant a lot to me, and I had no idea how the people would act. The butterflies flew in my stomach as a result of a much larger fear, however. I worried that I would not locate my classes, and become hopelessly lost within the labyrinth of twisting halls. I never encountered this fear before, making the situation several times worse.
When I entered the room, I quickly sat down at my assigned desk, attempting to relax. I noticed my deep breaths and tiny beads of sweat forming along my forehead. I could also feel myself shaking and the little hairs on my neck sticking up. The question, “What is wrong with me?” kept running through my mind. Never before had a new setting brought upon such anxiety. New people and places had always been something to look forward to. Now I fought to remain calm. My nerves cooled temporarily as the person behind me sat down, allowing me to find the courage to exchange names. The courage then quickly faded, and the teacher’s words were lost upon me as I worried about finding my Art class in the five minute window between classes.
I utilized my map to select the correct corridor to follow to Art. Suddenly, the halls emptied, and I realized my mistake. I had picked the correct hallway, but the incorrect direction. With no one around to ask for assistance, I began retracing my steps, and restarted my journey from the Science room.
The late bell rang as I trudged along, which made me feel like my destination was the gallows. Fear of what the teacher was going to do and say, as well the looks on my peers’ faces flashed through my mind. I even said aloud, “I need to chill.” On the inside I knew it should not matter so much, but it did, and I had to handle it.
The number on the door in front me finally matched the one I had circled on the map. I took a deep breath- and stepped into a complete surprise. I asked if this was the right class, and the teacher barely gave me a second glance, and judging by the looks on everyone’s face, they did not care. “So,” I decided, “neither do I.” I was one of five freshmen in this class, and there was an equal amount of sophomores to seniors sitting throughout the room. I knew that they had all been through this before, and I became confident that I would fit in just fine at South Carroll.
Week 2 Blog 2
9/13/05
Last night was by far the most humorous night since I’ve been here. In the Findley Commons, there was a Monday Night Football party, and the Eagles were playing in Atlanta against Mike Vick and the Falcons. As you all know, there are thousands of hardcore Eagles fans, and my buddies and I can’t stand any Philadelphia teams. Most of our floor went to the commons to watch the game and get free pizza, and we had a reserved table towards the back of the viewing area. The game approached and there was a brawl on the field that was started by Jeremiah Trotter, an Eagles linebacker who was a key to success. He and a Falcons player got ejected, and the Eagles fans were stunned. This is where the fun began.
Our table recruited many non-Eagle fans, ranging from Giants fans to Patriots fans, to Redskins fans, like myself. We started to chant against the Eagles and everyone turned around pissed off. I had never felt so much testosterone pumping at once in my life. The Eagles fans were anxious for the game to start to prove to us that Mike Vick will be broken in half by the Eagles. When the game started, our group was already dominating the Eagles section, which was about four times bigger than us. Their chants were unoriginal and lacking creativity, whereas ours we’re funny and made the Eagles fans want to “take it outside.” The Falcons built a quick 14-0 lead and we became bored of the game, since none of us even like the Falcons, we just hate the Eagles. Our table left at halftime, only to return midway through the third quarter with signs to tape up on the windows outside of the commons to make the Eagles fans even more mad. The whole NFL season will be a war, and I can’t wait.
Week 2 Blog 3
9/14/05
Yesterday, September 13, my friend Kyle made his second of two court appearances. Early in July one night, we was leaving a field party in our hometown when he got pulled over and arrested for DUI. His summer was finished after that, as his parents put him on lockdown, and the only place he was allowed to go was to work. The police officer that arrested Kyle said in the police report that he peeled tires from the dirt driveway to the main road for 25 yards and crossed the double-yellow lines. I know Kyle is a maniac behind the wheel, but 25 yards is a long way to peel tires. Kyle used this to his advantage and hired a well-known lawyer to help his case.
The two court appearances were an inconvenience to Kyle because he goes to school in southern Virginia as Ferrum College. He had to make the long trip back home two weeks in a row; however, it was worth it. Kyle was let off easy, receiving probation before justice. He must perform hours of community service, pay a fine, and have a license suspension of three months. Also, he is on probation for eighteen months. Looking at the crime he committed, he has to feel pretty lucky.
Week 2 Blog 4
9/15/05
Tonight our floor finds out if we can have an Intramural flag football team or not. Our manager, Justin, got us on the waiting list to play. We are all hoping that several managers don’t show so we can get on the schedule and start practicing. We have a diverse amount of talent on the floor, so I don’t know how we are going to use some of the players that signed up.
I think IM sports are an excellent idea. Thousands of people here played sports in high school, but no longer get to play in college at the D-I level. Through IM sports, we can play the sports we played in the past, at more of a recreational level but still be competitive.
AIM conversations
9/15/05
NittanyNiftyNiff: what should we write about for our paper?
hOckEy bOy8787: i dunno, ive given it some thought
hOckEy bOy8787: eddie talked to me yesterday
hOckEy bOy8787: about doing possibly a debate on football
hOckEy bOy8787: however, i cant imagine doing 10-12 pages on football
NittanyNiftyNiff: yea, that would be cool but I dont know which aspect
NittanyNiftyNiff: true
NittanyNiftyNiff: if we want to do something about sports, we could do the labor agreement in hockey, or steroids, or lance armstrong dominating...something along those lines
hOckEy bOy8787: thats actually a really good idea, because there's so many different sides to those arguments, and we could explore them all
NittanyNiftyNiff: yeaa
hOckEy bOy8787: i personally, was thinking about doing something on the validity of religion, and exploring how different religions look at god and our situation on earth
NittanyNiftyNiff: the only thing is there won't be many resources except for online, unless we looked back through old sports illustrated mags
hOckEy bOy8787: very true
NittanyNiftyNiff: and we could incorporate the "truth" and perspectives about the religions
hOckEy bOy8787: exactly
marcinko18: whats up man
NittanyNiftyNiff: nothin u got any final project ideas?
marcinko18: i don't know man
marcinko18: i was kind of thinking about writing about waht i know
marcinko18: and i know football
marcinko18: how bout you
NittanyNiftyNiff: i know football too, but i dont know what topic
NittanyNiftyNiff: i know there's gonna be problems at the next collective bargaining agreement, but thats in a few years i think
marcinko18: or better yet baseball
marcinko18: so many aruments there
NittanyNiftyNiff: the only thing is finding resources, the internet is good, but theres not gonna be much print unless we dig back through old sports illustrateds or find specific books
marcinko18: i here ya
marcinko18: *hear
NittanyNiftyNiff: justin and i were talking about maybe doing religion?
NittanyNiftyNiff: and he said us 3 could be a group if u wanted to
marcinko18: i don't know a couple people have asked me and i have to see what they are all thinking about
NittanyNiftyNiff: alright cool
Week 2 Blog #5
9/15/05
I just got back from a banquet at the Nittany Lion Inn, held for Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The atmosphere was crazy and a little wacky, as they had us walk down a red carpet and introduced us as random stars and all I could see was flashes of disposable cameras. They had this meeting to teach us "interviewing skills", so i figured it wouldn't hurt me to go even though I am just a freshman. I was probably the only freshman there, and felt a little out of place because it was mostly juniors and seniors with their resumes and internship information. However, the employees and recruiters that I talked to said that they were impressed with me showing up as a freshman. They said that I have the right frame of mind and know what path to start on.
I went to this meeting mostly because it gave me my second check out of three needed checks to become an active member in the Accounting Society. It is early in the semester, so I am thinking if I keep showing up at these meetings then maybe I can get my name out there early and increase the opportunities for internships my junior year.
Week 3 Blog #1
To begin another dreaded Monday, I dragged my feet slowly on the way to Math 110. We are almost done with chapter 2, so we will be having an exam in the coming weeks. I take my end seat along the aisle like usual, and start taking notes. My professor has always been amusing, as he walks in dressed like he just returned from a safari in the jungles of Africa, with his hat with a draw-string, suspenders, and khakis. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard early in the morning before this morning’s class. He starts talking about random mathematicians, and it turned into how he had classes with people that wrote famous songs. Professor Baum bragged about how he had classes with the man who wrote “It’s So Hard Being Green,” and he began to sing a couple verses of the song which made everyone start chuckling. This is when my professor got excited and made the funniest expression ever. He cringed while smiling, and looked like a little girl who just received a new Barbie doll. Mr. Baum was so proud that everyone was laughing at him that he went on and began to go on singing, making me wonder how it would be to have a class around Christmas time with him.
Week 3 Blog #2
Two weeks ago, I began a lifting program that I have stuck pretty well with so far. I do mostly upper-body, because I can't stand doing lower body. Even when I had classes in weightlifting in high school, I would avoid doing squats, leg curls, leg extensions, etc. This is because I was a kicker and receiver in football, and it seemed like when I squatted on a Wednesday, I still didn't have full strength back for the games on Friday nights. Squatting was even more tedious during basketball season. The best skill I had was my vertical jump, and squatting would pretty much "shoot out" the feelings in my legs, as my vertical would decrease extremely. Looking back at the months it has been since I last squatted, I decided to cut squats out of my workout because I can't imagine how sore I would be if I started to lift again and have to walk the miles around campus that I do everyday.
Looking at the past two weeks of my workout, I have already gotten a lot stronger, especially in the bench press. I completely dominated my last set of bench yesterday, and went on to do even another set when I was supposed to be done. I think I have gained strength in the upper body because I have been doing a lot more auxiliary lifts, such as military press, dumbbell work, and rows. In high school, I would do random auxiliary lifts, but I never stuck with them because of my laziness and senioritis. I regret not lifting hard the spring of my senior year because I lost a lot that I had worked so hard to gain.
To help me stay focused, I have a lifting partner from my dorm floor that is as dedicated as I am. We keep each other in check, and are basically on the same level of every lift. He planned to tryout for the soccer team here at Penn State, and I have a hidden fire inside me to try to kick for the football team. These reasons are why we created our programs and have started to work so hard. My parents are coming up this weekend for Parents' Weekend, and they are bringing my cleats. I have not been able to practice kicking at all since I have been here without my cleats, so I hopefully I can pick my skill up again quickly.
Week 3 Blog #3
I miss my truck. The black 2002 Chevrolet S-10 Pickup is proudly sitting on my driveway, waiting for me to return home to tear up the streets once again. No, I am not homesick, I absolutely love it here; however, I miss driving. My truck and I have been through a lot in the two years that I have driven it. A lot of money has gone into it, such as the sound system and interior modifications I have done, as well as Euro taillights and clear corners. I would have added on a lot more, but I knew that I would not have my truck freshman year of college. I have a body kit in mind, and I definitely need to tint the windows.
My truck holds many great memories of high school. It has survived the road trips, field parties, my ex girlfriend's 3/4 of a mile uphill rock driveway, and everyday journeys that I depended on it for. There is a song by Joe Diffie called "Pickup Man" and a part of the chorus is as follows: "There's somethin' women like about a pickup man." I think this has some truth to it, because the girls usually like my truck, and the eight foot long bed comes in handy for impressing the girls during fireworks shows or stargazing. There is also a sleeping bag stashed behind my bench seat for activities that makes the hard bed a lot more comfortable.
By far, the best activity associated with my truck is a game called "padiddle." If any of you have ever heard of this, I hope you have had good luck. Since my truck can fit only one or two girls comfortably, it is usually just me against those girls. While driving down the road, you are supposed to find cars with one headlight, taillight, or any other kind of light that is burned out. If you see this, you have to tap the ceiling and yell "PADIDDLE!!!" This gets really intense, especially because if your opponent calls one on you, you have to strip a piece of clothing. The game continues until someone loses all of their clothes. However, I am the King of Padiddle, as I have never been beaten.
With gas prices today, it is probably a good thing that I don't have my truck, since I like to go on random joyrides with my friends. Hopefully, the price of gas will decrease in time for Christmas vacation so I don't have to worry about paying large amounts of my money to get gas.
I compltely agree- I miss driving my car, glad I don't have to pay for gas, and am a big Padiddle fan, although I never played the strip variety. Next year, you can apply for a parking pass though! - CarpeDiem
I agree too. I miss driving my car and I'm glad that I don't have to pay those crazy prices for gas. I LOVE PADIDDLE!! You are one of the few who know about it. My friends and I do it all the time, especially with my best friend. We get really intense and we end up arguing some of the times (in a joking way, obviously). Anyways, I'm going home this weekend, and I can't wait to drive! MonicaKras
I remember when I came to Penn State. I couldn’t wait for my sophomore year so I could bring down my truck. I had a Ford E150 Custom van with a fridge, and bed, in the back, and a nice stereo for it’s time. BUT, it also had 2 gas tanks that held 50 GALONS total. That’s about $140 today to fuel up. But it was a great ride. Made it to Toronto once. {Drinking age 19!} Squad514
Week 3 Blog #4
The Ravens have started the season 0-2, and have a bye this Sunday. I agree that the Colts truly outplayed the Ravens in the first week, but there is no excuse for losing to the Titans. Kyle Boller got hurt the first week, spraining his big toe. He is said to be out for at least a month, which I don't understand at all. I know that one's big toe allows them to plant, change directions, and use their speed; however, Boller is not a mobile quarterback, he stays in the pocket most of the time. The Ravens were unprepared for an injury to their starting quarterback, as Anthony Wright has struggled since taking over the starting position. Over the off-season, the Ravens changed their already feared defense to a 4-6 formation, which could lead them to be one of the greatest defenses in history. They also signed some offensive weapons, such as Derrick Mason, to complement Jamal Lewis and Todd Heap. The Ravens play the 1-1 Jets next at home, and this is a critical game if they are hoping to rebound and stay with the leaders of their division.
On the other hand, my hometown Redskins are 2-0. Yes, I like both teams. It is because from when I was born to eighth grade, I lived a little south of D.C., so I was all Redskins and swore I would never become a Ravens fan. However, my family moved to Carroll County, close to Baltimore before I went to high school, where all of my friends were Ravens fans. Therefore, I was pretty much forced to become a Ravens fan also. Anyway, the Redskins offense has horribly struggled, going almost 7 3/4 quarters without scoring a touchdown. They beat the Bears with three field goals, and then rallied late in the Monday Night game to stun the Cowboys with two late touchdowns. Patrick Ramsey, the named starter, wants out of Washington; Mark Brunell, who led the Redskins over their rival the Cowboys, now has followers behind him for his heroics. The Redskins also have a bye this week, so they will have time to attempt to fix their offense.
Week 3 Blog #5
Somehow, the Penn State Men's Soccer team upset my Maryland Terrapins last night. I was going to go to the game, but I ended up being too lazy. I went over to a girl's place instead; however, I wish I would have gone to the game to witness the upset. Penn State beat the Number 6 ranked Terrapins 1-0, while shutting down the Terps explosive offense.
It seems like half of my friends go to Maryland, and the other half go to Towson University in Baltimore. Of course, there are a few stragglers that go to places like Penn State, like me. My friends give me a hard time for not going to either Maryland or Towson, but I'm glad I got away. It's fun to brag that the football team here is 3-0, when Maryland is 1-2. All of my friends make excuses, and I agree that we have not played anyone good, but we are still undefeated. I am really hoping we at least have a winning record, so I can prove to them that we aren't slubs anymore.
My Icon
9/25/05
I chose this icon because it represents the change I experienced in my life, which ultimately turned me into who I am today. After middle school, my family decided to move away from our house I had grown up in, because it was becoming a very bad and congested area. We moved to the countryside in Carroll County, MD. It is here where I changed from the mischievous kid I had been into a straight up, genuine guy. I never thought I would like country music, but I was converted during my sophomore year of high school. Pretty much everyone in my school liked country music except for me, and it grew on me fast. Through the rest of my high school years the "cowboy in me" really came out, as I was a part of field parties covered with pick-up trucks, cow-tipping, and various other farm activities I experienced. Therefore, this cowboy hat represents the guy that I have become over the years.
How-To
9/26/05
How to kick a field goal right-footed:
- Find a holder that knows what he is doing. Also, make sure you can trust him to hold the ball without being afraid of being kicked.
- Pick out a flat spot on the field seven yards back from the center who will hike the ball to your holder. This spot will always be straight back from the center, never make your snapper hike diagonally.
- With your kicking foot on the spot you want the ball to be held, look up to the right field goal post and position your shoulders so they are square to that pole. This will help the ball still go through the uprights on longer kicks because the torque of your leg usually hooks the ball to the left.
- Shoulders still being square with the right pole, take 3 steps back.
- Take 2 sideways steps to the left.
- Set your body in the position that you would to begin a sprint race: Have your right leg behind your left leg, have your right arm up at shoulder height, and have your left arm at waist-level. Make sure your shoulders are still square with the right upright.
- Focus on the spot you picked out on the field to have the ball held, not the holder, center, or the defensive players attempting to block your kick.
- Nod to your holder that you are ready.
- As the ball is being hiked, begin your steps. Start with your right foot. Your plant foot will be your left foot, which you should place 6-8 inches to the left of the spot of the ball. Make sure you point the toes of your plant foot towards that right pole, not towards the center or to the left of the uprights because that will pull your kicking leg to the left.
- Plant your foot, and kick the ball on the bottom third of the ball. Never take your eye off the ball. You don't want to get too far under the ball because you won't get the distance you need on a longer kick. For momentum, as your kicking leg goes forward, throw your left arm down towards your leg. This causes a snapping motion that will add at least 5-10 yards to your kick. This arm motion also helps with form. You do not want your arms to be hopelessly flailing around in the air, as this will cause you to lose power and accuracy.
- Follow through with your leg towards the target. Do not stop your leg before it is done with the kick, because you will restrict the power. Do not let your head fly up. This is mostly a problem in baseball, when kids take their eyes off the ball when they are swinging; however, this is a problem with kicking too, as you may miss the intended target on the ball.
- At the end of your follow through, look up to see the ball sail through the uprights. The refs will walk forward, and throw their arms up in the air to signal that it is good.
- Celebrate
Week 4 Blog #3
9/27/05
I have my first college exam in Economics on Thursday. I feel like I know the material well, but i still have to look over some old notes. We had a review session today; however, our regular professor was not there because of a family emergency. People were complaining about still having the test on Thursday, but I don't see why we shouldn't since we have known about this exam for three weeks. For our review session, a colleague of our professor taught the class. You could definitely tell who and who has not been studying based on some of the remarks and discussion topics brought up in class. People were leaving throughout the entire hour and fifteen minutes of class because they had enough of the irrelevant questions. The teacher showed us 16 sample exam questions which i did decent on, so I am pretty confident about our exam.