TFT is by far the best event put on during the year!  TFT stands for Teetering for Tots, only this year its Teetering for Textbooks.  All the money raised this year is going to help buy textbooks for a local school that is in desperate need of them.  Here’s what happens.  There is a HUGE tent set up from Tuesday through part of Saturday, 24/7.  It’s got a teeter totter which is always beeing tot (I think that’s what you’d call it) around the clock.  Every single gaming system known to mankind is there.  You got corn hole, a date auction, battle of the bands, a dance, a huge TV that used to be able to show movies 24/7 (stupid copyright laws ha), and a million and a half people coming and going.  I LOVE IT!!!  It reminds me every time of why I came to AU!  I can not think of a better college experience than that.  It’s all about community, having fun, enjoying one another and doing it at whatever hour pleases you ha.

    So, this week I will be writing posts sharing about my senior TFT experience!  I plan on being there as much as possible…even if it means I have to do more work next week, so be it.  This is freaking TFT week!!!!  And I don’t plan on missing it!!!!

-Jon      (Alabama waterfalls in the background)

    This campus is infested with squirrels.  No joke!  It’s truly ridiculous.  Its as if God blessed this area in abundance with squirrels that function like bunnies – multiplying by the masses.  They’re so used to humans that you can walk right next to one, be within three feet, and some of them won’t even move.  Makes you want to pounce ‘em!!!  Some have tried, most have failed, but it always seems to be on the list of every guy to catch a squirrel before they graduate.  Freshman year, we did such a thing.

    I used to live on the second floor of Dunn my freshman year.  We had our windows open during the warm weather and one day, a squirrel saw an opportune moment to jump through our bathroom window and scamper about exploring our floor.  Well, needless to say, this grabbed the attention of the 22 men who lived on that floor.  All of the sudden, doors began slamming shut and yells of excitement mixed with hands carrying cardboard boxes emerged from the woodwork.  We all cornered him into the back end of the hall.  I can only imagine, his little squirrel heart racing being surrounded by a bunch of young college students carrying weapons of entrapment with a gleam of excited anticipation in their eyes.  Needless to say, we were victorious.  We threw a box over it, caught it, and then a half an hour later (upon the request of our RD) we released it ha…so anticlimatic!

    And then there’s the time one flew into our toilet and drowned….but that’s another story all together ha.

-Jon       

This weather is great…knock on wood, if you can knock on the finest oak you can find, or better yet go outside and get a real living tree (I find it works the best). But seriously people, the weather has been teasing us ALL year. Every time that I think its getting nice out, the warm weather only lasts for a day or two. But this time I think Spring is really here! And you know what I love about spring?

Of course you don’t thats why I am going to tell you…It seems that this wonderful weather just puts everyone in an extraordinary mood. People are so influenced by the weather that I think you could get away with about anything… I think I could default on a couple loans and the bank would just be so giddy from the weather that they wouldn’t care. Heck, I could probably get away with not turning in my paper due tomorrow, not going to chapel, not wearing a shirt to class, starting a food fight in the MP, or even forking President Edwards front lawn.

I hope you all realize that I wrote that last paragraph facetiously and I am really not going to do any of that stuff. And on a side note (which I am sure you have realized by now my brain works in side notes…I don’t really stay on topic that well) a really love the word “facetiously” and I think I am going to tell you what I say every time I use the word. Are you ready for it? If you look at “facetiously” closely there is something unique about the word…Can you see it? Look again… “facetiously“… that’s right it has every vowel in order in the word!!! How exciting! And on a side note to my side note, I have recently heard that not only is y considered sometimes a vowel, but now w is considered sometimes a vowel…yea I think its weird. The reasoning behind this I’ve heard is that because…well let me just show you what I found on a forum at (http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhenIsWAVowel/mwbn/post.htm)

A good reason to include Y and W as vowels (vowel letters, actually) is that they pair with other vowel letters to create digraphs which have characteristic sounds. “AY”, “EY”, “OY”, “AW”, “EW”, “OW”. But when not at the end of a word, these are “AI”, “EI”, “OI”, “AU”, “EU”, “OU”. (Of course there are exceptions. That’s how English is!) Because Y and I form a pair that substitute for each other, and W and U also, it’s not such a bad idea to include both when introducing the concept to children.

Furthermore,

…there are two words in the english language that use the letter “w” as a vowel.

The first is “cwm” pronounced “coom” which is the basin at the bottom of a mountain sometimes containing a lake and the other is “crwth” which is an ancient celtic musical instrument. Hope this answers your question.

So yea I am really off topic now but I hope you all learned something from me today! WAIT there is one more useless fact I have for you…The longest word you can type on one letter of your keyboard is indeed “typewriter” and yep you just looked at your keyboard! Haha…too much fun.

Thanks for listening today!

Its been fun kickin’ useless knowledge your way.

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Just kidding….its me, Zach. Like you couldn’t tell from the picture.

There are certain times or places on campus that remind people why they came here.  Whether its the special chapel nights, a pick up game of ultimate frisbee or the week long woodstock imitation known as teetering for tots (which is next week, woo hoo!), each person has some time or place that they feel connected to AU.  While searching for inspiration of writing, I found myself drawn to the basement cellar of our student center – better known as Mocha Joes.  Its a student run coffee shop/hang out area.  It’s got a lot of down time, people coming and going, concerts every now and then and the assurance that you’ll run into someone you haven’t seen in a while in a 22 minute spread.

This is where I have chosen to sit and write my blog.  Running into friends I haven’t seen in a while, nursing a caramel machiatto, and watching the community come and go reminds me of some of the reasons why I enjoy this place so much.  Next week is what I would consider the pinacle of what reminds me of why I came to AU…Teetering for Tots.  It’s a week-long event filled with everything a college student could want.  They basically take a tent and fill it up with TVs and video game systems, retro to current.  They’ve got goldeneye, smash brothers, halo tournaments and more -not to mention a 24 hour movie marathon from the beginning of the event to the end.  They’re also doing a date auction this year to help raise money and then throwing a dance Friday night.  All the money they receive this year are helping to buy textbooks for a local school that is underpriveledged and in desperate need of some updated material (apparently to some of ‘em, WWII is still going on.  JK…but not too far off).  There’s grill outs, band concerts, root beer kegs and people will just crash there during the night time.  Needless to say, I can’t wait to re-experience the fellowship and community that drew me here in the first place .

-Jon     

(the three guy clubs represented, Boosters, Novus Dux and Dativus)

I’m sure many, if not all of you, are familiar with Adam Sandler’s “Lunch Lady” song.  It’s as catchy as a one hit wonder band named Hanson!  Anyway, its funny ’cause each lunch lady here, at least for the most part, has a nickname or something about ‘em that everyone knows or is unique….at least to me ha.  Alright, here’s the dl.

First off, you’ve got Jamie the Haven lady.  If she doesn’t know your name, you’re either a freshman or you never eat.  She is a ray of sunshine to everyone on this campus and she got the employee of the year from the student body.  Everyday that I get a meal from Jamie, it comes with a hug and a smile…no joke.  Sadly, she’s retiring and she will be deeply missed.

Most of the other lunch lady stories dwell from the MP (that stands for Market Place for those non-AU lingo enthusiasts).  First, you got Grandma, she pretty much runs the joint.  Then there’s the dynamic duo of Nancy and Wanda.  I currently hold the position of president of their gossip club and try to keep them up to date on all the comings and goings (mainly whats going on in the news and my life in general).  They’re great!  I think Nancy wanted to set me up with her granddaughter at one point, but as of yet that is put on hold.  Then you got Berte, who is just a sweet heart.  Earlier this year, I definitely saw that sweet little lady cruising by on a moped haha.  True story.  There’s also the sweet Asian lady who is always good for a smile, but I don’t know by name.  You got Karen, who normally takes the ID cards streetside.  As far as the lunch lady who takes ‘em on the valley side…well, let’s just say don’t even THINK about stepping two feet past the door unless she’s swiped your card.  Trust me, you won’t get far.   

So whether its Hogies and Grinders, Navy Beans or Sloppy Joes, I recommend ordering the most consistently good thing on the menu: a wrap, a hug from Jamie, and a small from the fabulous MP ladies!

-Jon     

  There is a simple equation that exists.  Its quite elementary and basic, but when its broken down, its not hard to see why it works so well.  If some sort of genius mathematician, say Stephen Hawking, were to translate such an equation from binary code to prose, it may look something similar to this:

Mountains + Beach + Best Friends + The Girlfriend = The Best Spring Break Road Trip Ever

 So its the last big hurrah, senior year spring break.  One of the last opportunities to be carefree and enjoy the company of some of the best friendships I have.  It all started out with me planning on flying down to Florida to visit my girlfriend.  Then a few friends wanted to come and keep me company, which turned into renting a sleak and sexy minivan and making it a roadtrip across the South lands.

  So we road tripped it to sweet home Alabama and stayed with a family on top of Lookout Mountain.  We had home cooked southern meals, visited waterfalls, played lots of games and just relaxed.  Then it was off to West Palm, Florida where the main mode of transportation is either a Mercedes, BMW or Jaguar….so needless to say, our little white Nissan stood out.  We bummed around different apartments around campus and enjoyed the luxury of a free roof over our heads.  For me, the week was filled with the beach, nice dinners on the town, resting and catching up on some Z’s, frisbee, and above all else, enjoying the company of my friends and girlfriend, Traci.  She and I got to take each other on some much needed dates and I got to watch her perform at a coffee house on Friday night with my two roommates Nick and Joel.  Needless to say, it was a great way to end the last of my spring breaks!

-Jon

From back left to right that’s Nick, Me, Bryan, Joel, and the front are Traci and Alleigh.  Yes, it was the four guys and Alleigh doing the road tripping haha.

Yea…it’s been kinda like that lately for me.   Are you having trouble sleeping?  Do find it hard to make yourself go to class?  Do you feel like doing nothing but playing video games all day?  Are you  letting your personal hygiene slip a bit because not showering allows you to sleep an extra 15 minutes?  Do you just feel stressed out about everything?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you probably suffer from Ihaventhadabreakinawhileandneedtogetawayfromschoolforaweek disorder.  Statistics show that this disorder is very common in college students in the later weeks of February.  97% of students at AU suffer from this condition, so don’t feel alone.  While I cannot prescribe any form of medication I do have a remedy for you…its called SPRING BREAK.

I know we are all looking forward to it.  Whether you’re going south to the beach, north to the colder weather, or just going home to chill, you are most likely counting down the days to Spring Break…9 days…7 school days…I find that many people take different approaches in anticipating spring break.. There are some who count down the minutes and seconds until their last class, there are some who know its coming but really don’t even know when, and then there are those who don’t have any idea when it is and usually are really surprised when they realize they are the only ones left on campus, and then my favorite are the people who quit everything and just sit in their rooms and stare at the walls for 3 weeks straight waiting for the break to come.

I really do understand right now that school can be really stressful these few weeks proceeding SB, but I do have one piece of advice to help you get through.  In the 3 weeks that precede SB I have always found that there is one of those weeks in which it feels like you have a thousand tests, and two billion papers to write.  In order to maintain sanity, pick out that week in your mind and tell yourself that if you get through that week you will make it to SB.  My week was last week, and in particular there were two days that just killed me, but I got through them and there is nothing that can stop me now!  So try to pick out a week, call it “your week” and punch it in the mouth!

Good luck,

Mr. Gray

     Maybe this Valentines day Hallmark-inspired holiday can better be described with a black veil and the words, “Singles Awareness Day.”  I know, I know, that probably comes off as love sick and anti-romantic.  To be honest, I am a hopeless romantic at heart.  However, before this year I had never had a Valentine!  True story.  However, this being the first year, I was all excited about doing something amazing, stupendous, incredible, surprising and would make her oow and ahh….needless to say I set a high bar for myself and I had nothing, until the afternoon on Valentines day haha.  One thing that you have to know is that this is not some sort of convenient relationship as far as location is concerned.  I can’t just come up with an idea the day off, walk across campus or drive two hours and pull it up.  No, I go to AU in Anderson, IN…she goes to West Palm Beach Atlantic in Palm Beach, Florida.  For those of you who may be reading this and are somewhat geographically challenged, that’s half of the US!  So, there’s a bit of a distance thing there ha.     So I call her friend and explain the whole idea and she agrees to help me pull it off.  While my girl is off enjoying the company of her friends and watching a movie, her friend sneaks into her room and begins to set the scene.  She lead a trail of Hershey’s kisses from her door to her bedroom where the entire floor was covered with kisses and a note that said, “Now that I kiss the ground you walk on, will you be my Valentine?”  I KNOW, it’s cheesy ha.  Very cheesy!  She liked it though and that is what made it important to me ha.

          First Dates.  To some this term may bring feelings of great joy, but to what I would assume to be the majority of us, that term brings about a sense of anxiety, only equally matched by the ever awkward…first kiss. Of course, once you get past that real-life game of battleship, its smooth sailing and clear skies.  But until such a time, it is all about first impressions and everything’s on the line.  What questions do ask?  Am I talking too much?  Is she talking too much?  Do I have food on my face?  Or the ever popular plead, “Dear God, please don’t let me say anything ridiculous tonight….or fart.”  Believe me, we’ve all been there in a catatonic state of absolute perspiration.  But with a little guts, a ton of deodorant, and a well-stashed cubby of Tic Tacs, the night has the elements for the ever illusive second date.

          That’s kind of what a blog is when you get right down to it.  You get one chance to woo and captivate your audience, with a little help from attemptive cleverness and a dash of sarcastic humor, one might get a chance for that illustrious second date…or in this case, a second chance to intrigue you with my unpredictable and at times corky life.  That said, it is customary for first dates to be a somewhat interview process, a quiet survey, and a secretive game of 20 questions.  To be honest, I prefer the more blunt approach ha.

          So aside from what’s in my bio, here is a bit about myself.  My favorite color is blue, I used to drive a woody (that’s an ‘88 station wagon with wood panels for the lay man), I like working out and playing ultimate Frisbee.  I’m an eclectic and easily persuaded music listener and a movie connoisseur.  LOST is the only addiction I know of and Mel Gibson is the most masculine man alive (in my opinion…but don’t tell Chuck Norris).  I’ve had a crush on Hilary Duff since high school, been to seven countries, I’m in a long distance relationship and I used to watch Boy Meets World like it was my job (‘cause I was unemployed at the time)!  So now that you know a little more about me, hopefully you’ll check in again soon to see what’s new in my life at AU!

Hello children.  By now you should all realize that it is almost Christmas time!  And trust me, if you have never experienced Christmas before, it truly is a wonderful time! I am so ready to go home for break and celebrate the holiday.  Decorate the tree, ice and decorate cookies, watch Christmas classics such as Home Alone and Elf, eat ham, drink hot cocoa, and spend time with my family.

The semester is almost over and next week is finals!!!  You know what?  People talk about finals week being horrible, but personally I think its great.  There’s no class, all you have to do is study a little.  The rest of the time you can just socialize with friends, play video games, or play in the snow!  By the way, that snow last week was the best packing snow I have ever seen.  The snow was so wet that you could pack it tight until it was as hard as ice.  I am just glad I didn’t take a snowball to the head or I might have suffered a serious head injury.  I also so some serious snow forts out in the Smith/Rice courtyard that looked pretty sweet.

Anyway…enough of my rambling.  Christmas is only 15 days away!  So start getting excited (well keep studying for finals too) and start listening to your Christmas music and watching your Christmas movies!  And hey… I better start seeing some Christmas sweaters!

Ho ho ho…

º¿º Zach