Weekend Recap...

I have never been this tired coming off a weekend, but all in all, it was a great time.

Lauren wrapped up my birthday festivities with Oliverio's on Friday and Fright Farm on Saturday. Today, I spent too much time at the DA writing a colum and doing Guru stuff. Tomorrow, I have so many things to do, I dont know how I will get it all done.

This should be a busy week, but on Friday Lauren and I are headed to NJ for the weekend to see WVU play Rutgers. We will stay with my Dad on Friday and her Aunt and Uncle on Saturday. I can't wait to show her a few things I love about Jersey (yes, there is SOME good about Jersey), and it will really be our first extended weekend away from WVU or her home. Should be good.

I learned today, however, that she will be flying to Nashville in the coming weeks. This is disappointing, considering the number of times I've tried to get her to fly but have been held up for one reason or another (her parents, money, etc.) She's never flown before, and while I won't get into it, there are things I hold near and dear that always made me want to be there the first time she flew. I still have hope that they'll drive or something and keep my dream alive.

In pointless NCAA news, my roommates and I are now in season 7. I am in my third year at Notre Dame, and have won back to back national titles at my new school. That's 83-0 with six national titles. The last three "in-house" games have been awesome. I took Davey (UConn) down in the national title game, 17-13, then again in this regular season, 34-31. Davey then beat Greg (UCLA) 22-20, thanks to a fourth quarter safety. Good games all around. I feel my unbeaten streak will come to an end soon.

That's all for now.

Happy Birthday!

Okay. Long time, no post. My apologies, but its been a crazy couple of weeks. My old computer, which I actually miss, decided to die on me so I got a new one. I dislike my new one a great deal, because the keys are all moved around on it and I constantly make typing errors, but the backspace isn't in the same spot, so I end up making more errors and get frustrated. So, not enjoying the new cpu, even if it was a free replacement.

Anyway, I've been wanting to get back to the blog all week long, so what better day than today, the day of my birth? That's right. For those who do not know, 24 years ago I emerged from the womb ready to take on the world. I'm 24. Yes, 24. That's a lot of years to me. Thats mid 20s. Thats six years removed from high school. I graduated high school six years after I was in elementary school. We are talking about that kind of time. Scary.

My birthday was excellent, I must say. My family was really great to me. My Dad came down from NJ on Tuesday night to start the birthday celebrations. On Wednesday, he hung out at the DA for a while before we went to Unos. He somewhat surprised me by inviting some friends along. It was a good time. Afterwards, we all returned to my house for a game of poker. I broke in my new chips, a partial birthday present from Lauren, and played everything from Hold em to two-card gut to indian poker. Good times. I made some strong plays early, while Rubenstein folded and folded. When the table had shrunk from 9 to 4 people, Rubey ended my day by getting me to go all-in against his flush.

Thursday was rather busy, as I tried to balance classes and the DA, while trying to cram everything in before the Syracuse game. The game was fun. I got Greg to go along, and he will never understand how happy I am that he was there. He was supposed to be my compadre in 1999 when I came here, but he took a different path and went to Florida. He and I watching games at Mountaineer Field was supposed to happen six years ago...but I'm glad he finally ended up here.

I had to leave the game in the third quarter to go back to the DA and finish the paper. After clearing some hurdles, I got out of there at 1230am and headed home. Dad, Greg and I went to Sheetz for some late night bad food. Dad turned in around 130am, maybe 2. I hit the hay after 5.

That brings us to my birthday. I have no set plans. I'm really into relaxing and doing nothing special, except get some stuff done around the house. Dinner is a possibility, as is shopping (thanks to some birthday money).

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday great. To people like Drew, who got me a great gift, to people like Tassa, who exhibited his terrible card playing skills. To people like my Dad, who just go above and beyond, to people like my sisters, who always make me feel loved.

Oh, and some girl named Lauren. She doesn't think she's all that great, but I know her better than she does...and I know I'm right where I belong.

Till next time...

This and that and a few things I think I think...

Okay, so its been a few days since I posted on my new blog...but its been a little busy. As a result of my lack of maintenance, there is a lot to cover in this entry.

First, everyone knows that WVU lost its top 10 ranking when it fell to Virginia Tech this past Saturday. It's old news. No one is happy about it. I'll admit I harnessed my emotions slightly better than I anticipated, and certainly better than I did after the win over Maryland, but it was still heartbreaking for me. I'm not saying I love the Mountaineers more or less than anyone else, but anyone who knows me knows how deeply my passion for college football and WVU run. It was devastating to watch WVU stumble its way through the game, and no player deserves to go uncriticized. Alas, they are professional athletes. They are 18-year old students who work their ass off year-round to give me something to love this much. It's hard to fault any of them, but it doesnt make it any easier to stomach. There are six games left, and to steal a page out of the sad Marshall fan logic, these are the ones that mean the most. Va. Tech may hurt the most with a loss, but go 6-0 from here on out, and the Mountaineers will have a chance to prove everyone wrong and re-establish the Big East in a BCS bowl.

In other news, the VP debate was held last night in Ohio. I will actually give Cheney credit in the fact that he stayed more composed than I had anticipated, but it was still a joke of a debate. It's like Bush & Cheney have nothing new or factual to bring to the table. They use the same "flip-flop" accusations and the same material in all their campaign stops or debates. You might as well just put a tape recording up there and let John Kerry and John Edwards give their side, then push play for one of the two dwarfs, Dopey & Grumpy. I was pleased to see that the polls were showing a slight lean towards Kerry now. It's the way it should be. I'm more confident than ever in Kerry-Edwards, and less and less satisfied in our current administration.

In personal news, my grandmother fell and is in the hospital. She lives in Florida, and fell and broke her arm while also hitting her face on the concrete. She will likely have surgery on the arm, and will be treated for the wounds to her face. This came one day after she returned to her home that was devastated by Hurricane Jeanne. Keep them in your prayers.

In more personal news, I'm continuing to wrestle with my future. Anyone close to me knows the intense stress I've been under in the past six to 12 months regarding the decision. I'm not sure whether to continue on my path to a Master's in Education, or simply quit school altogether. My advising appointment today did little to clear the fog, but I'm glad I got to talk about it a little. I'm also undergoing a weekly therapy session, so hopefully the counseling will pay dividends as well. I just want to be happy. I want to do something productive, inspiring, self-fulfilling and meaningful, while satisfying my own aspirations to be happy. It seems like a simple goal that would produce a simple answer, but its yet to do so for me. I turn 24 in a couple weeks, and the sense of urgency to find my path has been kicked up a notch. If you know me, float me an IM and make me feel a little better or add your two pennies. Honesty is appreciated.

In NCAA news, I've continued my dynasty with my roommates, Greg and Davey. Greg seems to be a in a lose-lose situation at UCLA after losing his job at WVU. He went 4-8 in his final season in Morgantown and his contract was not renewed. He went to UCLA, but went 4-8 again. He cannot generate a consistent offense, despite his solid defensive play. Hopefully it will start clicking for him.

After 4 seasons at Rutgers, I resigned. I went 51-0 with the Scarlet Knights, winning 4 national championships (the first season I split the title with Oklahoma). I won a handful of last second games, including two against Davey and two against Greg. However, I went a combined 8-0 against my roommates.

My last two meetings with Davey produced instant classics, as I defeated him 38-35 and 27-24 to clinch the Big East title on both occassions. The first game ended with a game winning touchdown, the other a game winning field goal.

I have taken over at Notre Dame, for the simple fact that I had no more to accomplish at Rutgers and wanted to make a parallel move to a school with a great tradition. I love Notre Dame. Always have. That's probably a sin being a WVU fan. I'm 1-0 with the Irish, and absolutely love the stadium and team, and for the first time in a couple seasons, am having a blast playing the game.

Davey is ranked No. 3, and should cruise to a national title unless he gets beat late in the season. I play Greg in week 5 at Notre Dame Stadium. Should be an Instant Classic.

Well, I've rambled for long enough. Thanks to all the people close to me who make me happy on a daily basis. Most dont know the profound effect everyone has on me...but I take everything to heart.

2 days till Round 2 of Bush-Kerry
7 days till UConn

Kerry-Bush Debate

Well, the dust has settled.

I waited a day before posting my initial impressions of the first of three presdential debates between Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush.

Understanding that my position as a Kerry supporter will likely paint my words as nothing more than blind support, I just was left with very unimpressed feeling by Bush's performance.

Kerry did most of what I wanted him to do. He was strong, confident and painted an image that he too would be strong and unwavering in the war on terrorism, no matter where that war led our country. I think he made believers out of a few undecided voters, and like me, made his already decided voters a little more confident in him as commander in chief.

Bush, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired to me. Keep in mind that while I'm watching Bush, critiquing his answers, I'm doing so with the belief that there is a good chance he will be our president for 4 more years. I don't want it to happen, but Kerry needs to do a lot to overcome Bush and take office. Therefore, I'm just as interested in Bush, not for what he will say that may help or hurt Kerry, but because I want to know what he will do, or won't do, or will do differently if he is our president again.

Right now, I'm just a little disappointed.

Bush seemed to regurgotate the same tired phrases over and over, without ever directly answering questions, while seeming arrogant and stubborn when discussing possible mistakes or misjudgements during his 4 years in office. This is not what I wanted to see.

So today, just over a month away from the election, I'm a little nervous. I believe in John Kerry more than ever, but also, I believe in Bush less than ever. That scares me.

It scares me that I feel less safe than I did 4 years ago when he took office. It scares me that the economy is as poor as it is. It scares me that I chose to go to graduate school because I was unsuccessful in finding a job. It scares me that the rich seem to be getting rich, and the poor getting poorer. It scares me that my Dad can't find a job, and may simply retire early. It scares me that my little sister couldn't find a job, and came back to school. It scares me that the world at large seems to be more threatening to the US than ever. It scares me that the deficit continues to expand out of sight, that domestic issues such as education keep getting ignored.

And, most of all, it scares me that we have a leader that is too strong in his convictions to simply say he was wrong. A man that seems to use prayer, religion and his trust in God to manipulate the American people to believe that everything will be all right if we have 4 more years than this.

My friends who support Bush, I love you to death. I know you believe in the man for certain reasons, and I respect that. I know you feel safer with him, and I respect that.

I know because 4 years ago I was in the same boat. I was a Bush supporter. I wanted him to defeat Gore.

I voted for him.

I won't make the same mistake again.

Less than 24 hours till Virginia Tech
Song of the day: Frou Frou "Let go"