Review Papers So Far

Reading other people's papers has been very helpful to me actually. I'd like to commend David Blankenship on his paper organization  and format. It's just like a tourist brochure for Vietnam. My apologies, David. I will be stealing your format after my horrible intensive review. I realize now that this is an exercise for the reviewers as well to find new ideas for their papers that others incorporated into their papers. Good luck on your papers, people!

Snapple Caps

I started collecting snapple caps last semester for the interesting facts inside in the hopes that I'd learn something new everyday. Unfortunately, they don't always have new facts and I got a lot of repeats. So far I have about 172 caps. Naturally, I developed an addiction for these almost unnaturally fruity drinks. Sometimes, I just spend my breakfast meal on these and get 3 for $4.20. I think that in college everyone should make a collection of something. It gives me something to look forward to in each day even if my day is shit because you never know what you'll get when you pop the cap.

Life is like a snapple cap. You never know what you're going to get.

Yes, that just happened.

Being Tall

Currently, I am approximately 6'6"; more like 6'5" since I slouch

Being tall has its advantages. You can see over people and walk faster more confidently because you can see what's coming, you can reach high things, climbing walls aren't such a challenge because of lengthy extensions, and it helps with some sports. I can give good hugs I've been told (maybe because people feel like kids when I hug them?). I might seem imposing to some potential mugger or something...I don't know. Never been in a fight or anything, so I guess that's unproven.

Being tall has its disadvantages. People say "You're so tall" often even if they have said it before. Somehow they forget about it because they are shocked be your height. People are more comfortable when you are sitting down. If I'm with a group of friends, I tend to stand out, literally, making me look like part of the analogy that doesn't belong. There is a higher probably of brain damage to multiple head damaging. School buses are not made for people over 6' 2". People assume I was on the high school basketball team with an expectation of athleticism (I have played on a team, just not for a few years).

Fun Fact: I have a longer wingspan than my vertical height.

Rough Draft

I had some trouble finding good sources for my paper. For typical tourism destination information, all I could find was a tour agency website with some basic info. However, I did find some good books at the library. I guess that library session last Wednesday worked pretty well because they were really easy to find. Now that I've used it for something, I'll have more confidence in finding sources in libraries because one reason I didn't use them was because the organization of the books isn't always the same.

Random side thought. I passed my history professor in the library today as well. For some reason, I always think it's weird to see teachers/professors in public, but I don't know why that is. Does that happen with anyone else?

Duct Tape

Duct Tape. It's probably one of the most useful and versatile inventions of this era. As college students, we are inclined to fix things and modify them so they fit our cheap, temporary needs. In this function, duct tape is the perfect tool.

Things I've seen duct tape used for:
-sticking rug to the slippery dorm room floors
-attaching a tissue box sideways on a wall for convenience and saving space
-taping bed sheets to the bottom of the mattress so it doesn't have to be remade if the bed is high from the ground and therefore difficult to rearrange sheets.
-waterproofing shoes (actually did this one myself)
-taping long wires (i.e. long cable wires) to the floor so it isn't all tangled up
-makeshift portfolios for keeping works from being exposed to the elements
-makeshift pocket on bedpost for easy access to phone alarm when waking up for the day
-repairing a gamecube controller that is falling apart

These are all just examples of things that I've seen duct tape used for inside my dorm. Has anyone seen any other creative uses for duct tape?

Come to Noblesville

I'd like to make this post about my hometown of Noblesville since that was the main focus in our english exercise today.

Noblesville has many things to do for someone that is willing to look. Downtown Noblesville has many family owned shops and restaurants that range from hardware and antique stores to asian and traditional dining locales. This area of downtown is called 'The Square' because there is a big square in the middle of four intersections where the old courthouse is located.

Local events that occur downtown have always brought people to the square. Noblesville participates in the First Friday celebrations that occur on the first friday of every month. There is dancing, food, and a guaranteed good time. Added to that, there are car shows that happen every Saturday night on the square. People drive their classic old cars and flaunt them off. During this event, most if not all parking on the square is occupied by old-fashioned, classic american cars.

In addition to the old-school shops on the square, there is a relatively new shopping mall on the east edge of Noblesville called the Hamilton Town Center. We call it 'HTC' for short if you would like to know where all the more modern/contemporary shops are such as JCPenny, Aeropostale, and many different restaurant chains. With the exception of one nice McDonald's in that area, the restaurants are generally of higher quality and have no drive through. The HTC is also home to IMAX 16 which has been a great hangout spot for many locals of the surrounding areas. The HTC is basically easy access for anyone living in Hamilton County.

Within eye-shot of the HTC is the Klipsch Music Center (formerly named the Verizon Wireless Music Center). This center is totally dedicated towards rock concerts and a plethora of tours that come through town on designated days of the year; Warped Tour, Mayday, Xfest.

Noblesville has a rapidly growing population which puts a lot of emphasis on the school system. The quality of education in Noblesville has a high standard with four of the several elementary schools getting a 4-star designation and the high school being a top school in the Indianapolis area.

First week back

My first week back from school has been reminiscent of welcome week earlier in the fall. Yes, I did have to get up early, but I still haven't had enough classwork to really consider it back in the flow of a college semester. I made my schedule this semester so that I get done with classes earlier and that motivated me to choose my two morning classes to be at 8 a.m. in the morning. Waking up at 7 doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. It just means that I'll be awake for more of the day than many of my fellow students. Now I have more time to do homework and have the same time last semester to socialize. I look forward to this class and the rest of this semester.