Atlanta roads = confusing

written by: Blake Larsen | Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I felt completely lost in downtown Atlanta no less than 10 times this past Friday night, attempting to navigate to and from Fort Macpherson to downtown and back. And honestly, it wasn’t even Mapquest’s fault.

Atlanta’s road management people apparently think it’s a great idea to have roads randomly change names, fork in three different directions and in many cases not even have road signs.

Riding with my girlfriend to the Coca-Cola Factory felt like trying to solve one of those Rubik’s cubes. Every time we made some progress or got seemingly closer to our destination, we would all of a sudden be on the wrong road going to the complete wrong direction. After finally getting there and then leaving later that night, we ended up 5 miles north of downtown instead of on 75-S after following 75/85-S signs.

It wouldn’t have been a huge problem except that Atlanta has a lot of “rough” parts of town that you don’t necessarily want to come to a complete stop in your vehicle if you can help it.

Long story short, when traveling in ATL it’s much easier safer to take the interstate instead of the back roads, and I need a GPS system for my car ASAP.

False Hope

written by: limergr | Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

The sofa in my apartment’s living room is broken. The wooden boards that are supposed to support the cushion no longer fit, so instead of interlocking to form a bridge, they now collect in piles under the sofa’s frame. Whenever I sit on the sofa, I immediately sink, and my knees become level with my chest. Wedensday night, I was sitting on my quicksand sofa, ”enjoying” a pepperoni Hot Pocket, when I heard a distinct, melodic tone. I grabbed the remote and put the O’Reilly Factor on mute, hoping to pinpoint the sound’s origin. The note sounded like it was being produced by the lead actress from Phantom of the Opera (or at least from Cats). It was very faint, yet beautiful, and it resonated throughout my apartment’s walls. After much effort, I left the sofa in search of the sound’s creator. I was Odysseus, and I was being drawn by the voice of the Sirens. I climbed the stairs to my room, now walking as if in a trance. My room was silent, so I wandered back downstairs to search the remainder of the apartment. In the process, I mentioned the sound to my roommate, and after sharpening his ears, he quickly became entranced. We floated around the apartment like two rusty nails caught in the middle of a magnetic field. The magnetic pull of the melody took us outside the apartment and down to the first floor of the building. As I approached the door of the apartment below us, I expected three mythical goddesses draped in cloaks of white to greet me. Instead, I was greeted by a droopy-eyed bassett hound who wouldn’t stop howling. The disappointments in my life are never-ending. I went back inside my apartment and hopped into the crater on my sofa, cranking up the volume on the TV and tuning in to Papa Bear’s words of wisdom.

Still growing

written by: clarkju | Friday, November 21st, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

I thought I was supposed to be finished with the whole growth spurt thing a long time ago.

I have been 5′6 since I was in middle school. But when I put on a pair of my jeans from last winter, I got a surprise - they were too short.

I checked the tags to make sure they were the right size. It said 2 regular. That’s me. Or at least it used to be until I hit my unheard-of-for-college-aged-girls growth spurt.

I was shocked, but I knew I had to handle the situation. So I went shopping for new jeans.

I tried on 2 longs, and they actually fit. Which is really weird, because I remember wishing I could wear longs instead of regulars.

I’m the shortest person in my immediate family, and I always wished I could be tall like my mom and my sister (they are both 5′10).

I would try on the long jeans, and they would swallow my legs whole. And now, a few years and unexpected inches later, they fit.

Sorry, Sis. No more short jokes.

Stolen vs. Lost

written by: Kevin Saucier | Friday, November 21st, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Stolen

VS.

I think you can tell a lot about a person’s mood by how they characterize an instance where they cannot find something they own. Recently, my iPod “went missing,” and I’m using that term because it is the neutral point from which my argument will spring. When I couldn’t find my iPod, I had one of two ways to frame the incident in my mind.

A) I lost it.

B) Someone stole it.

I think the option a person chooses rarely has anything to do with logic. It’s all about your present mood when you discover your item has “gone missing.” When I realized I couldn’t find my iPod the other day, I was already in a rather foul mood based on my dissatisfaction with poor decisions I had made, so I chose to think I had lost it.

“You just got a D on a Spanish test, you forgot to do your pronunciation recording and you almost rear-ended that car in the rain a minute ago. Your dumb self probably lost it. You always do this. You broke your 30GB Philips mp3 player freshman year. Why can’t you take care of your things?”

Now if everything in my life was going swell, I may have chosen the second option and placed the blame on some imaginary, opportunistic jerk who saw a chance to score a free iPod and took it, because if you’re feeling great, it’s never your fault. Regardless of the fact that your memory and motor skills are fuzzy because you’ve been at the bar all night pounding back drinks, you’re too damn cool to lose your iPod.

“C’mon! What?!? Who would do this?!? I’ve got all A’s. I’m on top of things. No wonder these punks want what I have, right? You know how many songs I had on that thing? 4,000. Yea. 4,000. Whatever. That guy probably listens to crappy music anyway, so I’m doing him a favor. He just stole an education in cool music… and that one Miley Cyrus song I downloaded when I was like, ‘I see that tween everywhere, but what do her tunes even sound like?’”

Other instances of some Stolen vs. Lost arguments:

• Highways- Always lost. See: David Lynch, Jeff Buckley, Bon Jovi
• Kisses - Stolen, primarily. See: Ben Harper and Faith Hill
• ABC Television dramas - That’s “Lost.”
• Coldplay songs - “Lost,” again.
• Kidneys - If you wake up in a tub of ice, that thing was stolen. No question.
• Elections - If someone steals it, someone always loses. But if someone loses, it’s not always because it was stolen. Supreme Court involvement usually means it was stolen.

Oh, and I found my iPod. It was in a secret pocket on my backpack I had just discovered and felt like trying out. It worked so well I hid it from myself.

The score is Lost: 1 Stolen: 0.

Tags: lost, Stolen

HOW do you not know that?

written by: Wes Sinor | Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments

Sunday’s Eagles-Bengals game ended in a 13-13 tie - and quarterback Donovan McNabb didn’t even know a tie was possible in the NFL.

Now, it doesn’t happen that often, I’ll give him that. However, it happened six years ago when the Falcons and Steelers played to a 34-34 tie in 2002. And McNabb’s Eagles ended up playing the Falcons later that season in the playoffs. Did he just not notice the Falcons had a third number attached to the end of their record?

I might expect this from a rookie. But this is McNabb’s 10th season in the NFL.

Maybe his coach, Andy Reid, didn’t know ties were possibly either. Or maybe he did, and he just figured it was not an option he wanted his players to even think about.

Nevertheless, players should know the rules. And this seems like a big one, especially if it affected McNabb’s play. He was undoubtedly expecting a second overtime, so he could have been holding back. If he knew once the overtime clock hit 00:00 the game was over, he might have pushed his team harder to try and get some points.

Check it out for yourself:

Tags: bengals, donovan mcnabb, eagles, nfl, tie

Officially Holiday Time

written by: Ali | Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

So it’s 4 days before I go all the way home to Colorado for the first Holiday of the Holiday season, Thanksgiving! And I couldn’t be more excited! This year has been full of many blessings for my family- my parents have celebrated their 25th anniversary, my sister and her boyfriend of almost 8 years are engaged and my brother and sister-in-law had their first baby in August, which resulted in my first niece.

Baby Grace

Therefore, this year the holidays mean even more. I’m not going home just for Thanksgiving, but to go bridesmaid dress shopping and to cake tastings and wedding gown fittings. I’m going home for Christmas to see for the first time my baby neice and to congratulate in person my brother and sister-in-law.

Going to school in Alabama, with my parents and sister in Colorado and my brother in Rhode Island, I miss a lot of big things in life- so when we all come together for the Holiday season it means that much more to me to celebrate not only my family, but the life that I have been blessed with with them.

Along with wedding stuff over the break I am getting to go to Broncos game and stand on the sidelines during the game- thanks to my amazing dad and his field passes! I also know I’ll be hitting the slopes to go boarding with friends in the mountains. And of course, am looking forward to a White Thanksgiving, which is usually guaranteed each year along with our White Christmases. And of course I can’t forget my 115 pound golden retriever who is 3 years old and thinks he is the size of a cat. And the other 15 year old one who is as sweet as can be. And of course my unsociable cat along with her brother, the devil cat.

Bride to Be, Mom, Me and Dogs

(I know this is a photo of us on the beach, but to the left is my sister, my mom and then me and our golden retrievers. I can’t wait to see them all!)

It’s also my Senior year, and maybe the last year for all of my friends to return home for Thanksgiving and Christmas “breaks.” Every year during school breaks we have a “cheer reunion” of the “7 Seniors” so we can all catch up again. The 7 of us are spread out all over the country when we went off to college and luckily all of our families have remained in Colorado- so we all return to the same place for breaks. But soon we will all move to our own cities when we graduate and I doubt we will be back in Colorado at the same times, unless of course it is a holiday- which will probably be shorter than our school 4 week break and therefore we won;t get to see each other as much.

Needless to say I am taking these holiday breaks, and actually this whole last year of school, to heart and making every minute, every second the most it can be.

Happy Holidays and SAFE TRAVELS!

Yay, surgery!

written by: clarkju | Monday, November 17th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

My 21st birthday is coming up, and you know what that means.

I am finally eligible for lasik eye surgery. (I bet that wasn’t what you were expecting.)

I have worn contacts since the fifth grade. THE FIFTH GRADE. And although I am glad I had the option to wear contacts, I am so over them.

Putting them in every morning. Taking them out every night. Constantly applying rewetting drops. All but crying when a piece of fuzz finds its way onto a lense. And most importantly, not being able to see squat without my contacts.

I can’t wait to be able to wake up in the morning and actually see without having to stumble into the bathroom to force contacts into my sleepy eyes. And I can go to sleep without poking myself in the eye trying to take the things out. No more dry contacts and no more watery, irritated eyes (except during allergy season).

Just 20-20 vision and a hassle gone from my life.

“Exceed the need” means more than 5 cans

written by: Grace | Monday, November 17th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

If you think we are losing to Alabama in more ways than one. Think again. 

Auburn has a shot at winning the Beat Bama Food Drive this year. I know that no matter how difficult or stellar a year either team is having, this game is a toss up. The canned-food drive on the other hand is not. It’s traditionally Auburn’s victory, and we’re taking it back from Bama’s surprising victory last year.

Last year, Alabama students collected an impressive 241,336 pounds of food.

Though, we put up a good fight,  Auburn brought in 183,017 pounds.

This is one of the state’s most impressive and biggest food drives. Through the competition’s 14-year history, more than 826,880 meals, which equals 48 tractor trailer loads of food, have been donated. All cans go towards the relief at the East Alabama Food Bank.

This year, Auburn has set a goal of 250,000 pounds. 

THERE ARE THREE DAYS LEFT IN THE COMPETITION. SGA has made donating idiot-proof by setting up donations online and setting up canned-food barrels all over the city. Check this out to donate:

http://www.beatbamafooddrive.com/

Currently, we have around 90,000 pounds… Which is good, but not good enough.

As much as I want to “beat bama,” I want to beat the war on hunger.

One out of five children in east Alabama are living below the poverty line.

One out of four senior citizens in east Alabama are living below the poverty line.

Nearly half of the individuals requesting food from the food bank have at least one person working, and of those requesting, 41 percent have a high school education.

Many have had to chose between putting food on the table or paying rent, mortgages or medicines. 

All these according to the beatbamafooddrive.com Web site.

Sure, you get spirit points and a can trophy. Yes, the loser must sing the opponent’s fight song at a basketball game (which no one will attend), and there might be a little pride when hearing the winning team during half time of the Auburn v. Alabama football game. 

All this means nothing, if we don’t realize the point of it all- end hunger.

Spend half as much money on canned foods as you do on Starbucks and Natural Light, and we’ll be all right.

I urge you to pitch in.

“Exceed the need”

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

written by: boykima | Monday, November 17th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

I am a shopaholic. There, I said it. Admitting the problem is always the first step to recovery right? I think in the back of my mind I always knew it, but it really hit me over the head when I was reading “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” I totally identified with the main character’s thought process way too much. For those of you out there who like a fun, easy read you should definitely go out and buy it or at least put it on your Christmas list.

As someone who has a shopping problem, Christmas is probably one of my favorite times of the year. No, not just because I get new things, but also because I get to give new things. While it is hard to shop for other people, my family and friends can be some of the pickiest people I know, it is so much fun to watch their faces as they unwrap their presents.

The best presents aren’t even necessarily the most expensive things, they can even be ones you make yourself. The best presents are the ones that show how much you care about someone because they show how well you know them. It’s so exciting to open a Christmas present that is perfect for you that you didn’t even know you wanted.

This year I am at a loss though as to what to get friends and family. Please post suggestions below.

And on a side note, one of my favorite Christmas experiences was in Mrs. Williams’ class in fifth grade shopping for an angel tree child. This past Sunday when I was in church I heard that it was changing this year and they were looking for monetary donations instead of actual presents. I don’t know if it was just the church I went to or what, but I thought it was sad. If you have never done an angel tree child or toys for tots I recommend you do it. It was an amazing experience.

forget the bad, remember the good

written by: Brittney | Sunday, November 16th, 2008 | Sports, Uncategorized | No Comments

I have this map in my car of LaGrange, Ga., that I used this summer while I worked there. As I spent my days navigating the streets of LaGrange to cover a school board meeting or interview a couple about their hydroponic produce, I kept a running countdown until I was done.

Sure the job was fine and I learned a lot, but that’s how I function — always ready to move on to the next thing.

So yesterday morning as I headed to campus for my last football game as a student, while my friends were all sad and nostalgic, I was secretly fine with the situation. I am admittedly not the world’s biggest football enthusiast to begin with, so I figured after 4 plus hours standing in the chilly weather, I’d walk out of Jordan-Hare for my last time as a student thinking about nothing but the heaters my friend had at her tailgate.

But Auburn threw me a little curve ball. They played well. The last five minutes of that game were the most exciting moments of our season. Even though it ended badly, it was fun having something to jump up and down about.

When the game ended, we decided not to fight the crowd and to just sit down and wait it out. And after a few minutes, the band put down their instruments and sang the alma mater. I don’t know if they do that after every game or after the last home game — I never stay long enough to know. But it was neat. 

As I walked out of the stadium, I was thinking about those heaters (they’re like the ones at Bodega. yeah.), but I was also thinking that I’m glad this game was my last one. Even though it was a loss, it was one to remember.

Moral of the story: When I see that map of LaGrange in my car, I don’t think about getting up at 5 a.m. or the many times I managed to get lost in that little city. I think about the friends I made and experiences I had. So hopefully down the road when I come across a shaker or old game-day button, I won’t remember the embarrassing games or the obnoxious drunk girl who sat behind me that time. I hope I just think about fun games like yesterday’s.