It is go time!

STUDIO 48 – I’m not gonna lie, I have no idea where I am going with this one.
As you faithful readers know, I have been in a self-induced world where I avoid females at all costs. It was time for a change. It was time to stop playing around and start focusing on my life and getting a little vision, focus and direction in it. I feel like I have reached that point. I know that I am on the fast-track to graduation, I know that I have some jobs lined up for after graduation if I want them and I know that I have never been quite this confident that I am going to make it and that God really is watching out for me. I’m telling you all that so that you will not judge me and question me if I make some radical moves in my personal life in the next few weeks. (Editor’s note: radical for a sheltered conservative boy may be nothing more than approaching a young lady with the intention of pursuing her.) I make this promise to all three of you reading this... I will no longer date for the sake of dating and I will no longer pursue relationships that I know to be negative or destined for dead-end. It may be fun at the time, but it is not worth it in the long run. From hence forth, if I go out with a girl and spend significant quantities of time with her, then you will no that it is more than just another girl. I’m venting at myself for being an idiot. No more! I have been tempted in the desert and I have come out on the other side stronger than before.
Thanks for reading my own Lou-Holtz-esk motivational speech to myself. “Ya gotta believe.......”

A long Blogger drought

STUDIO 48 -- Do you ever wonder why I always seem to start my Blog entries with a hypothetical question? {That was a joke} Today I would like to welcome at least one new member to my Blog audience. Let’s see... there are now about three of you guys out there. I will, be careful what I put up here from now on because the new member is not afraid to dig for dirt when she wants information. I kid, I kid!

Life is swamped right now. I’m not complaining because it gets this way during March Madness every year. In case you live in a cave or just don’t care, my Lady Dawgs came up short against UConn the other day and ended another successful season on a sour note. But I am nothing short of proud of the way they played and way coach Landers and his staff coached. We will get to the top of the mountain someday; I was just selfishly hoping that it would be while I was here at Georgia. I will not take the time to complain about my fiasco in Stamford / Bridgeport / Hartford / Springfield, Connecticut last weekend because it is just not worth dwelling on any longer. If you wanna know, you can just ask me. But I will say that if you ever have the opportunity to NOT go to the state of Connecticut, then take it! You can look for pictures from all the Basketball band post-season trips in my Facebook pictures. (I'm not sure if this link will work, but you can go to my Facebook profile and navigate from there if it does not)

G-Day is only nine days away and I am surprisingly not stressed out. I know that something is getting overlooked, but I think that my section is ready to go and everything is prepared. I have delegated some of the work and I think that it is all getting done. We’ll see! I am going to use the morning rehearsal that day to let perspective section and rank leaders for next fall lead a warm-up and rehearsal so that I can see how they do it and so that they will know exactly what they are getting themselves into. Other than that, we are Eastbound and down with our preparation for China. Wow, it is going to be tons of hard work, but totally worth it... I think.

I am looking forward to getting through the politicking (ie: officer elections, drum major crap, sucking up to rich alumni... etc) of G-Day and actually getting to the game itself. I really wanna know who is going to be our quarterback and who is going to step up in the defensive secondary. I trust coach Richt. We will be fine, but I’m a little concerned about our lack of experience. My early pre-G-Day season prediction... We’re going 10-2.

I have three papers due and an exam in the next six days. Don’t expect too many subsequent Blog entries until that is all over. There may be some big news in my future, but we’ll just keep hoping and praying about it and not discuss it until it happens... or doesn’t. I could use some prayer from you guys as well. Thanks for being patient with me and I’ll try not to slip into a Blog drought.......

Back from Stamford, CT

I'm pretty swamped after getting back from the trashy state of Connecticut. I will post a full account of the trip as soon as I can, but just know that it was very interesting.

66 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME...

66 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME:

1. DO YOU SNORE? only sometimes, usually if I'm really really tired

2. ARE YOU A LOVER OR A FIGHTER? Lover... except at UGA Sporting events

3. WHAT ARE YOUR WORST FEARS? My life not amounting to anything

4. AS A KID, WERE YOU A LEGO MANIAC? Apsolutly... and still am

5. DO YOU CHEW ON YOUR STRAWS? Yes

6. WERE YOU A CUTE BABY? Three words... Big Blue Eyes

7. IS THE SINGLE LIFE FOR YOU? I have been single for quite awile on purpose, but I might be comign out of that phase... who knows?

8. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR KEYBOARD? Black/Gray

9. DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER? Yes—loud and proud

10. HAVE YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMPED? nope but it's on my list of stuff to do before I die

11. ANY SECRET TALENT? I am a no-talent @$$ clown

12. WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL VACATION SPOT? Hawaii, I wanna own a home there as well... someday

13. IS JAY LENO FUNNY? I think so, but Conan is soooo much funnier

14. CAN YOU SWIM? yes! and I love it

15. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE MOVIE "DONNIE DARKO"? nope... I have no idea

16. DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE OZONE? A little. I think “scientists” are feeding us some false truthes about it and its severity, though

17. HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A TOOTSIE POP? It turns out that it is different depending on the quality of your lick

18. CAN YOU SING THE ALPHABET BACKWARDS? Not a chance

19. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON AN AIRPLANE? Yes

20. ARE YOU AN ONLY CHILD? nope, got two younger brothers

21. DO YOU PREFER ELECTRIC OR MANUAL PENCIL SHARPENERS? Manual, actually

22. WHAT'S YOUR STAND ON HUNTING? It’s not for me. I’m not against those who do it, but I don’t like shooting things for the sake of shooting them, or mounting their carcasses on my wall

23. IS MARRIAGE IN YOUR FUTURE? I'm almost positive that it is. God knows... and that’s good enough for me

24. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It is very sloppy

25. WHAT ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO? The color orange

26. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID, "I LOVE YOU"? Yesterday to my mom on the phone

27. IS ELVIS STILL ALIVE? Get over it... the man is dead

28. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? a little underdone scrambled with cheese

29. ARE BLONDES DUMB? Some are, but I don’t buy into the steriotype. But I prefer brunettes for the record

30. WHERE DOES THE OTHER SOCK END UP? Please let me know if you find out

31. WHAT TIME IS IT? 12:45 AM

32. DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME(s)? yes...... Mateo, genious, daddy, etc

33. IS MCDONALD'S DISGUSTING? the fries are awesome, But the rest seems to cause a severe case of ‘481’

34. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE IN A CAR? Last night on the way to/from Wesley

35. DO YOU PREFER BATHS OR SHOWERS? Long showers make me happy

36. IS SANTA CLAUSE REAL? I hope so, or someone has been lying to me for the last 21 years

37. DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR NECK KISSED? Ummmmm... I think it all depends on who is doing the kissing

38. ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? Nope

39. WHAT ARE YOU ADDICTED TO? Penut Butter

40. CRUNCHY OR CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER? either is good with me, peanut butter is strait from Heaven

41. CAN YOU CRACK YOUR NECK? Nope

42. WHAT IS THE BEST SEASON? Fall -- It is all about the football

43. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BRUSHED YOUR TEETH TODAY? Twice

44. IS DRUG FREE THE WAY TO BE? For me it is

45. ARE YOU A HEAVY SLEEPER? I have slept through a tornado before... no joke

46. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES? North Carolina Blue

47. DO YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE? love it

48. WHOSE LIFE IS BETTER, CHUCK NORRIS OR VIN DIESEL? gotta go with the Texas Ranger

49. ARE YOU PSYCHIC? um, no

50. DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS? Euphonium, Tuba, Trumpet (not good), and piano (used to be better, but never work at it)

51. HAVE YOU EVER STOLEN MONEY? No

52. DO YOU LOVE SOMEBODY? Several people. But no one is THAT someone, yet

53. DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE YOU KNOW YOU SHOULDNT? I definitely do RIGHT NOW and it is pissing me off because she is really cute

54. DO YOU SNORT WHEN YOU LAUGH? No

55. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? Umm, no

56. ARE DOGS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND? If a dog is your best friend... then we need to get you some friends. But I do like dawgs

57. DO YOU BELIEVE IN DIVORCE? Yes, but WAYYYYY to many people get divorced because they 1) got married too soon or without thinking it through, or 2) because they are too lazy or selfish to work out their problems. But I do know of situations when divorce was the best solution

58. CAN YOU DO THE MOONWALK? Too white

59. DO YOU MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES? every minute of every day :)

60. IS IT COLD OUTSIDE TODAY? It is cool, but not cold

61. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Fried chicken from Peaches

62. DO YOU WEAR NAIL POLISH? I do some cross-dressign on the weekends... j/k

63.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU STAYED OUT ALL NIGHT? I guess last night, b/c of the plane trip back from Philly

64. WHAT'S THE MOST ANNOYING TV COMMERCIALS? The Capital One “No” commercials with David Spade. Get a friggin’ carrer ya loser!

65. DO YOU SHOP AT AMERICAN EAGLE? Nope... rip off city

66. FAVORITE BAND AT THE MOMENT? hmm...toss up between Simon & G and Billy Joel. I love the old stuff

And We're Backuhhhhhh!!!

STUDIO 48 – It has been awhile, a long while since my last entry. So much stuff has happened that I’m not even sure how to fit it all in, but I will try...

The trip to Nashville was fun. I have established that trips with the Redcoats are fun because of the people, not because of the locations. I know that Brett told us all that we would remember the relationships more than anything else from our time in the organization, but I can now say that I totally agree with that. The boys team got dominated as expected, so the trip was not a lengthy one, but fun nonetheless.

The Studio 48 Spring Break Backpacking Trip came off with little drama. I will admit to enjoying getting away from TV’s and cell phones and computers, even if it was for just a couple of days. We did make it out of the woods before the rain set in. I saw some pretty scenery that you just don’t see unless you actually get off the beaten path and make your own trail. (I believe that there is a life lesson in there somewhere.)

I could write twenty entries on the happenings in and around Trenton, NJ over the last five days. In case you didn’t know, I am in the process of following our women’s basketball team as they travel around the country on a quest for their sixth final four appearance. Our journey took us to Princeton (yes, THAT Princeton), NJ this past weekend. We left on Friday and I walked into my apartment at 4:30 this morning.

I will say, again, that it is not about the location, it is all about the people. Sure, I got to go to NYC for like the bizillianth time. Sure, I got to go to Philly again. But the bottom is that without the people, it would be empty. The team knocked off the Red Foxes of Marist and the Hartford Hawks consequently wrapping up yet another sweet sixteen birth. I roomed with Michael and we found this bizarre channel that shows nothing but highlights from past women’s tournaments. Needless to say, I expanded my knowledge of the women’s game this weekend. Did you know that Tennessee and La Tech have been to every NCAA women’s tournament? Did you know that Georgia is third in tourney appearances? Did you know that Andy Landers, Jodi Condradt and Vivian Stringer have never won titles even though they have like 13 final fours between them? D@mn you Pat Summit! I am now pumped about my upcoming trip to UConn to try to continue our tournament run.

The trip had many things out of the ordinary happen, yet it will go down as one of my favorites. Our bus driver was outrageous. He got in a near fist fight with a security officer at Sovereign Bank Arena, he drank six martinis in an hour at the hotel bar and then came up to our card game to brag about it, he took the entire band and cheerleading squad on a trip to his house so that we could take a picture with his granddaughter. Two words sum up these bizarre happenings... “OH BOB!”

I got to hang out with several people that I consider friends and make some additional friendships with people along the way. Again, its all about the people. I am now sitting hear on next to no sleep trying to get caught up on all the work that must be done. Holy cow! Its only 48 hours until I leave again.

Thanks for bearing with me. I’m sure some more stories that might be appropriate to share here might come to mind in which case I will do so. Back in the Classic City..........

pre-SB

STUDIO 48 – Okay guys. It is finished. I am done with all classes and my personal spring break has commenced. Sure, there are two more days of school, but the UGA men’s basketball team finally did something for me. I have done nothing but cheer them on threw the worst three years in the history of the school. Two losing seasons, zero NCAA tournament appearances, two full seasons of NCAA sanctions, and I have been there to see it all. So they owe me one, and now I am going to cash in. I leave in the morning for a working vacation in Nashville, TN to witness our men’s team in the SEC tournament. Sure, we will most likely lose our first game and then promptly come home on Friday morning, but that is enough to extend my Spring break by two days.

This will probably be my last post until sometime after the break, but I will be sure to update you guys on the Nashville trip, the backpacking trip, my time and home and my subsequent trip to Tucson, Philadelphia, or Chicago as soon as I get back. Wow! Spring break is supposed to be a break. So much for all that........

Most of this is a re-post...

You asked for it (again), so here it is.
The things that tickle my fancy.
Read carefully.......

--sunrises/sunsets;
--sleeping in;
--meeting new people;
--north campus;
--swimming pools;
--the Florida game trip;
--deep conversations;
--Jell-O;
--spontaneous road trips;
--playing basketball;
--lake days (see also: water sports);
--roller coasters;
--K-bobs;
--Athens trivia nights;
--per diem;
--thunderstorms;
--trampolines;
--my family;
--eating peanut butter strait from the jar;
--Seinfeld re-runs;
--ridiculously long showers;
--scenarios;
--prayer;
--lasagna;
--foosball;
--classifying mullets;
--sweet tea;
--victory cigars;
--crisp autumn days;
--quoting movies;
--all-you-can-eat buffets;
--chilling out with friends (old and new);
--the yellow sauce @ Inoko’s;
--Jacuzzis;
--Krispy Kreme Doughnuts;
--Redcoats (it’s a love/hate relationship);
--grandparents;
--Oreo Blizzards;
--long walks on the beach;
--good backrubs;
--GAMEDAY!;
--afternoon naps;
--sitting in the car until the song is over;
--March Madness;
--listening to the rain as I fall asleep;
--casseroles;
--staying up for Conan;
--girls that have the personality and character to equal their attractiveness;
--UGA baseball games;
--driving in the mountains;
--the silent majesty of a winter’s morn;
--singing in the shower;
--tailgating;
--girls that think I’m oblivious, but really have no idea
--the antics of the Basketball Band;
--cuddling / snuggling;
--going home after a long time in Athens;
--getting back to Athens after a long time at home;
--bowl game trips;
--music! (country & rap do not qualify in this category);
--snow days;
--green Kool-Aid;

Now you know........

Welcome Kev-o

I would like to welcome my good friend Kevin to my Blog audience with a high-pitched “HEY DUDE!”

Whatnot

STUDIO 48 -- Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I promise you loyal readers (both of you) that I’m not going to become one of those people that posts a Blog frequently when they first get it and then slack off to a once a week guy, and then a once a month guy.

This week has been very interesting. I guess the biggest piece of news is regarding my future here at UGA. I may have found a way around taking a full course load this summer. I won’t go into any of the details until it is official, but I could definitely use some prayer on this one. I used to pride myself on never letting my schooling run my life. When I was a freshman, I never let school get in the way of fun, and here I am three years later posting something about school as my BIGGEST story of the week. Kinda sad, but... Oh well.

The personal life is still pretty cut and dry, nothing too much to report. I’m still really OK with this. God is more than enough and He has blessed me by putting some people in my life that make every day totally worth it. I know that there are good things right around the bend.

The Diamond Dawgs are 7-1 and ranked #20. That’s exciting, I hate it when they aren’t good because going to the games are a lot of fun, but even more so when they win. I hope they can keep it up.

Last night, I went out to eat dinner with k-diddle, rusty, and her family and then we went to the Gymdogs meet. It was my first one this year. I will say that I am proud to be on a campus where women’s gymnastics is the second most popular sport. Every time I go to a meet, I am totally surprised by the support they get. It reminds us all that anyone will get support if they are good.

I got back here in time to catch the second half of the Lady Dawgs game in the SEC Tournament. Talk about a wood-shedding! They took Vanderbilt outback and beat the tar out of them. Tonight’s game will be a little less easy as they will have to play Tennessee and “It’s Pat” Summit. I hope they can beat them this time because I’m sick of the majority-lesbian-Tennessee-women’s-basketball-fan-base talking smack. Let me just tell you that hearing the antics of the basketball band on TV is pretty dang funny. I heard Sam call some girl an Ogre, the whole band sing the “all we are saying” song, and most of their post-game celebration. I laughed pretty hard. I’m sure that “It’s Pat” will get his/her fair share tonight. Go Dawgs!

I’m looking forward to getting out of town a few days early before spring break. In case you are wondering, Nashville, TN is the site of this year’s SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament this year which begins on Thursday morning. I get to stay there as long as our men’s team keeps winning which will not be more than two days because they are not very good. Wish us luck.

This weekend is the get-ahead-weekend so that going to Nashville next week, and then spring break, and then a trip to the women’s NCAA don’t ruin my (so far) decent grades this semester. I’m trying to finish a paper, a fun assignment for Euro-History, and start studying for an exam in Speech that I have to take early before we leave on Wednesday. Basketball band has it’s privileges, especially this time of year.

That’s all I’ve got for now..........