DieSelNarrative

DieSelFinalNarrative

DieSelDefinitionDraft

DieselFinalDefinition

DieSelAnalogyDraft

DieSelFinalAnalogy

CausalArgumentBlogs

DieSelEvaluaTion

DieSelFinal

First entry:

My name is John Caputo and I am a freshman here at psu. I was born in Hazleton, pa where I was raised for 18 years. My parents are John and Kathy Caputo, I have two older sisters and a younger brother. I arrived at Penn State on 8/29/05 and it has already become my second home. My roommate was here for summer classes,and his experience aided in my transition. The first night I was here, my roommate and the friends he acquired over the summer session took me downtown. Shortly after we were on are on way to a phrat party, my first phrat party ever. Not knowing what to expect, I decided to walk around with a cup and not drink. I just blended in and surveyed the scene. It lived up to the standard phrat party persona that you would see in a movie. Since then I have met a couple of the brothers at the fraternity and engaged in a heart to heart talk with them about pledging and girls. The only problem is that the people I have been meeting up here are all guys and that is inspiration enough for one of my future wikis to be a classified add.

2nd Entry:

Today is Thursday 8/30/05 and I decided to save my classified add for next week’s wiki. I want to work using them first. The main reason being I was going to put on a picture but at this stage of the game I can not get my work online. I will clear up all these issues on Tuesday, after Labor day. Other then that, I don’t have a good story for you. The first football game is this Saturday and I am looking forward to it. I geuss I can tell you something about myuself. In the summer, besides going on my annual vacations with family and friends, I worked with my father doing construction. He has a privately owned business. I enjoyed working, even with the unthinkable conditions for someone are age. By that I mean I worked 5:30am to 6pm everyday. In the summer, no kid should wish he had school in order to "sleep in."

3rd Entry:

Last night, 8/31/05 was crazy. It was the night before the first football game here at Penn State. Everyone was out and some compared last night’s events to artsfest. I came home at 12:30, got something to eat, laid down for a little then went back out. I arrived home again around four and

passed out. The details of last night are still a little blurry, but that was a quick summary. The night life here is like no where else. Im going to get ready for the football game,

so Ill talk to you again on Tuesday.

4th Entry:

9/03/05 My labor day weekend was good. On Saturday I went to game, then tailgated for a little while afterwards. I also went home late Saturday after the game. Don’t ever hitch a ride from someone you know from High School and never really talked to them. Put it this way I was trapped in a car that was going 55 mph the whole way home on the interstate. The ride that should have took 2hrs was close to 3. Not too mention they were the most annoying people I ever met. See you on Wednesday. Still no luck posting these or my rough draft narrative, but I have printed copies for tomorrow.

5th Entry:

9/04/05

I read my narrative to my friends, how it appears online with no revisions. I have my own corrections to make and its sloppy but they thought it was good for a rough draft. Iam interested to see the feed back from the rest of the class. I finally got to post everything online, so I hope to get some feedback. Sorry there was no new stories or problems for today. Thanks Kem, for the help with computer and the wikis.

6th Entry:

9/05/05

I went to the gym today. I went to the white building with this kid I met on my floor. His name is Derek and we have similar interests. At gym I worked out my triceps and stomach. I was there for approximately 2hrs and it was one of my longest workouts here at school. After our workout we went to the sauna to relax. Then we went to eat at South for the first time. I did not eat at commons there, but I ate at one of those food stations. I t was alot different from East and I enjoyed eating there.

7th Entry:

Tonight I am going to a Hazleton football game in Williamsport. From the game I am getting a ride back to where I live. I am optimistic because my grandmother is making her world famous meatballs, especially for me. I love school and PSU but there is still no place like home. At least for now, while I still have a good relationship with my girlfriend. Distance takes its toll on a relationship, but I'm willing to make it work. She is a senior in high school and plans to come here next fall. I hope it works out but I am growing suspicious of her authenticity.

8th Entry: (assignment)

I was given the best opportunity of my life on Christmas Day, 2000. It seemed to be just an ordinary Christmas morning filled with snow-covered streets, music, family and presents, until I opened my grandmother’s present. This one envelope was filled money and pictures of my family. I never had an urge to visit Italy, but suddenly I was filled with an overwhelming sense of anticipation to see that beautiful country. I wanted to tour the many different sites and cities that were a part of my grandparents’ Italian culture.

Growing up as a grandson of an Italian immigrant grandmother, the Italian culture always had an impact on my life. These pictures sparked my interest in Italy with my family and me. I was excited to see and learn about the country and also, to meet relatives unknown to me.

I witnessed a totally different lifestyle that I had never experienced. When I think of America, I think of it as a modern country. By modern, I mean advances in technology, architecture, theater, culture, etc. Americans seem to thrive on monetary values, while Italians appear to be content with the "simple life." Unlike Americans, Italians do not put emphasis on the most costly items or material possessions, because they are used to the little pleasures in life. My relatives do not have air conditioners or a multiple room house and they do not have a grocery store in the neighborhood. They literally lived in a village on the side of a mountain with windy roads. For fresh water, they made daily trips to the springs scattered along the roadway.

There were many differences in lifestyles that I learned about through my grandparents. Some of these differences included how they got their daily food supply; since there was no grocery store to go to, a fruit and produce truck would come around everyday so the people could buy what they needed for that day. They owned farms where they grew vegetables, nuts, and grapes which they used to make wine. There was no smog or congested highways, just wide open roads leading through the entire town. The Mediterranean Sea was a clear body of water, very different from the murky-green water of the Atlantic Ocean to which I am accustomed to. Dinner was a time to gather with your entire family, no exceptions. The most noticeable difference was that the Italians are overall friendly people.

Change is defined as "to alter one's approach or attitude" and I truly believe I have become a better person because of my heritage. By discovering a lifestyle different from my own, I realized that the things I once thought of as necessities in life, really are not. The things that I felt were important, no longer mattered to me.

She was able to educate me in her world, something I had never experienced. When I look back on what I have learned because of this experience, I feel I am more appreciative of the beauty in art, and detailed architecture and buildings. More importantly, I have developed a greater understanding of the Italian customs and culture that are part of my heritage.

Entry 8:

After reading the USA today article "A compassionate Bush was absent right ater Katrina" I was enraged. Judy Keen and Richard Benedetto are most likely democratics who have differences of opinion on how Bush does things and try to trash him in news articles. They state in the article that 42% of americans are displeased on how Bush is handling the effects of Katrina. They forgot to mention that 58% which is more than half of the people in America are satisfied with President Bushs opinions. They are arguing that the president came to the disaster area four days after it happend and this was too late of an entrance. Personally I would also wait a few days after the storm was finished so I was putting myself in danger, especially if I was the most important man in America. What the authors of this article fail to realize is that President Bush in fact is doing a good job and doing everything he can. The authors dare to say that Bush is sometimes not compassionate and not a good leader. If they would read the New York times they would recognize that he spends over 2 billion dollars per day on relief efforts. He is putting the country at a bigger deficit by doing this but what else should he do? Let the victims of Katrina suffer without houses and money?

Entry 9:

Last night, I stayed up to watch my Eagles fail to come back from a 14-0 1st qaurter. I was dissapointed in their efforts. This season appears to have the same familiarities of the previous 4, we will be good but not superbowl good. I also noticed that Penn State is divided almost equally into Eagles and Steelers fans. If you dont believe me, go to canyon pizza around 2am and you will hear E A G L E S eagles! Soon, to be rivaled with comments from Pittsburg fans.

Entry 10:

What is knowledge? I think knowledge is power. What is power? Power is defined as 1. capacity to do something: the ability, strength, and capacity to do something. You need knowledge to do anything.

Entry 11:

I had a problem with my wikis. I have been acessing my wiki account through my email for quite some time now and I never had to enter the wiki password. Recently that became a dilema when my email account got accidently cleaned out. I remembered the password wearepsu but nothing on the wiki is that easy. I have discovered that there is Caps loc trick to the password and to just about everything you do on wiki.

Entry 12:

I've come to the conclusion that if your roommate is sick, than you are bound to get sick as well. I have been trying to stay healthy by taking vitamins and getting enough sleep, but my roomate still got me sick. He got sick a few days ago so I've been very cautious to wash my hands and try to stay away, but catching what he has was inevitable. Now, I'm the one who feels like crap. I think I caught the bug because we are enclosed so tightly in the same room. There was no avoiding the germs. It sucks not feeling well up here because my mom's not here to take care of me. I hope I start feeling better soon, before my work and partying are affected.

Entry 13:

I am fighting a sinus infection. I use to get them annually when I was in grade school, but I have been pretty good through the duration of my high school career. I forgot how much they suck! I have discovered that it is easy to get run down out here. I hope I dont have to go to the infirmary and I can make it to the weekend. I am taking some over the counter sinus medication called "sudafed" and it has brought my cold to a hault. I am not really getting better but I havent taken a turn for the worst yet either. 'Only time will tell'.

Entry 14:

It was a good weekend. I went home again tho. My girlfriend is awsome and I dont know why. It is a good feeling, and Im glad were still together. This is my inspiration for my definitonal argument. I know Ive lost most of you but let me break it down. We have to define something that can have many meanings and interpretations. I have decided to define Love. Awwwe! I know Im whipped but at least Im happy. See you on Monday.

Entry 15:

9/19/05

The Eagles got a much needed confidence booster yesterday against the San Francisco 49ers. Like everyone else, I was shocked when the 49ers beat the Rams last week but, Tim Rattay has only so much luck to use in one season. I actually stopped watching the game when the Eagles had about 4 or 5 touchdown lead because I had some preparing to do for today's classes. Econ002 requires more attention then I thought it would. Its seems to be a subject of terms rather than concepts. There is the whole supply and demand concept but there is many acceptions as to what exactly effects supply and demand. Back in highschool it seemed like common sense but now its all about technicalities. I just have to schedule my time to get things done. The hard thing is, there is only 24 hours in a day.

Entry 16:

I have begun working on my love rough draft and it is alot harder to define love then I expected. I have too many different ideas and meanings for the word. I will have my hands full with filtering through these ideas to come up with a definition. I still have time so maybe I will change my word. No actually I wont, because I am eager to take on the challenge. Right now Im ethusiastic but when it comes to the final I will be crying.

Entry 17:

Tomorrow is the big day. I will have my first exam. I'm little nervous but I think I am pretty well prepared as of right now. It is for Bi Sci and I figure that since so many people take the class that it can't be too hard. I've been reading over my notes a little bit and I just got done doing a practice exam, which I did farely well on. So I'm ok I think. The thing that sucks though is that I have to do a lot more studying for other exams too. I have an Econ and math exam on thursday. I don't know how I'm gonna study for everything in such a short amount of time. Hopefully I will do well on all three but for now I better go study some more.

Entry 18:

I received a bid from the phrat DTD aka "the Delts". I'm starting to debate on whether or not I should be joining a frat. I really feel like it'd be too much work right now, but on the other hand I think it'd be fun too. At first I didn't want to join one because I wanted to get settled in and get accustomed to college and because I thought they were dirty. I am also concerned that if I don't join one than I won't be aloud in some of the parties. That wouldn't be the only reason to join one, but it would be a pretty big factor. I guess I just have to weigh my options and see if I can handle it. I would like to here others opinions about the frats they like, so input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Entry 19:

9/27/05 How to make meatballs like my grandmother

First you will need the following ingredients

To prepare or make

1. Mix ingredients thoroughly by hand or with kitchen aid with paddle attachment.

2. Roll into balls, 2-3 ounces each.

3. Bake at 250° until internal temperature is 165° (about 45 minutes).

4. Another option is to pan fry in olive oil for a crispier, more browned exterior

Entry 20:

I just got done studying for my math exam on Thursday. It's not really stuff that you can like memorize, its more just stuff you can practice. My teacher told me there was no way to really learn it so I'm a little worried, but I've been practicing my ass off. In high school, I never studied for a math test in my life, so I'm not really used to it. I want to start off this grade on the right foot so I guess practicing is the only way. Sorry if I'm a little irritable this week

Entry 21:

I'm stuck on my analogy paper. I cannot decide what analogy to use for my paper. I have already wrote a paper on the one but I feel it is weak and will be graded poorly. My second analogy, I can work with a little more but hopefully in class tommorow we will discuss our analogy more and I can ask the teacher which one would be more sutable. I think I am going to work with the analogy "life is like a box of chocolates" from the movie Forest Gump.

Entry 22:

The thing with these blogs is that eventually I will end up running out of ideas. It is already sort of hard trying to think of an idea. Its not that my life here is that different from day to day. I see the same things and all of it just looks repetitive. I can look through my building, watch people walk by, or sit in front of my television. All in an attempt to find some idea to type in this journal. I just hope that some ideas pop into my head so these will become easier to complete this week.

Entry 23:

10/05/05

I seriously cannot wait for this weekend because it's the biggest game of the season. I really, really, really hope we win. Ever since I was young, my dad who was a Penn Stater, has raised me to hate Ohio State. Could you imagine what this city would be like if we are victorious? If we do win, I'm rushing the field and that goal post is coming down. I don't want to get my hopes up though so I'm being realistic. Ohio State is a good team so I hope our team is ready for the challenge. I know I'm ready.

Entry 24:

What an amazing game this weekend. I had such a great time on Saturday after we sent Ohio State packing back to Buckeyeville. I even made it onto the field too. I was afraid I was going to get sprayed by the cops with mase, but when I saw an opening, I had to take it. My friends weren't all so fortunate. One kid I know got it directly in his eyes and suffered in pain all night. I didn't really see the need for the pepper spray. I think the only reason the cops had it was to show their authority. I can understand them guarding the goal posts, but shooting random kids in the face for hoping on the field was a little excessive. It just jazzed me up, that they weren't doing anything about the kids already on the field, only the one who were in the stands. Sometimes I really hate the police. It doesn't matter though, we still won and are undefeated.

Entry 25:

The Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979, in which approximately 1.7 million people lost their lives (21% of the country's population), was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century. As in Nazi Germany, and more recently in East Timor, Guatemala, Yugoslavia, and Rwanda, the Khmer Rouge regime headed by Pol Pot combined extremist ideology with ethnic animosity and a diabolical disregard for human life to produce repression, misery, and murder on a massive scale.(http://www.yale.edu/cgp/news.html)

Entry 26:

The body’s stress response can be helpful at times. Positive stress causes you to meet deadlines, generate new ideas or survive physical danger by producing exhilaration, motivation and energy. Even if you're scared, you may enjoy the thrill of skiing down a mountain in deep powder or the excitement of having a baby. The stress response often helps athletes perform better in competition than in practice.

Entry 27:

This cold weather is coming right into the “happy valley”. I myself don’t mind slightly cold/chilly weather. It’s the bone-chilling coldness that I detest. If I can wear a long sleeve coat or a light jacket, then I will be happy, but if I have to pull out this winter coat shit, then I start to get pissed. It’s not that I have the snow. I like snow. It’s just that when it gets that cold then everything starts to become a hassle. You have to make sure every part of your body is covered up or else you get frozen. This is also the case when I talk about the complete opposite, the heat. I also hate when it is humid out, or even just plain old hot out. That really makes me want to just stay inside and lay beside a fan. The weather is just one crazy entity that some love and a lot of people hate, especially right now.

Entry 28:

(Stigmergy Remix)

Stigmergy, a term coined by French biologist Pierre-Paul Grasse, is interaction through the environment. Self-Organization in social insects often requires interactions among insects: such interactions can be direct or indirect. Ants are the premier example of organisms that use stigmergy. How do they find the food and get everyone to use that same path? The answer is stigmery. When an ant finds food it heads back to the nest leaving a pheremone trail, a trail of scent that will evaporate over time. The World-Wide Web is human stigmergy. The web and its ability to let anyone read anything and also to write back to that environment allows for stigmeric communication between humans. “Similarly with Napster, a simple system devised by students, evolved into a people space that created a distributed database spread over hundreds of thousands of private computers” This is an example of human stigmergy on the web.

Entry 29:

(Identifying Evaluations- http://www.ajpip.com/vitamin_supplements/res/cmp.htm)

"Using the supplement Glutamine"

Description-

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body – comprising approximately half of the free amino acids in the blood and muscle.

Study-

A significant body of scientific literature exists to support the beneficial effects of glutamine supplementation in maintaining muscle mass and immune system function in critically ill patients and in those recovering from extensive burns and major surgery. When plasma glutamine levels fall, skeletal muscles may enter a state of catabolism in which muscle protein is degraded to provide free glutamine for the rest of the body.

Theory-

Intense exercise training results in a well-described drop in plasma glutamine levels. Chronically low glutamine levels have been implicated as a possible contributing factor in athletic overtraining syndrome.

Claims to-

Boosts immune system function

Maintains muscle mass

Prevents muscle catabolism

Safety-

Glutamine supplements are well tolerated at levels up to at least 20 grams per day and intakes of as much as 40 grams per day should induce no significant adverse effects outside of mild gastrointestinal discomfort

Entry 30:

(Define Plagiarism Assignment)

Plagiarism Dictionary. Com defines plagiarism as, 1. A piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work. 2. The act of plagiarizing; taking someone’s words or ideas as if they were your own. Plagiarism is not limited to, “the improper use, or failure to attribute, another person's writing or ideas (intellectual property). It can be as subtle as the inadvertent neglect to include quotes or references when citing another source or as blatantly unethical as knowingly copying an entire paper verbatim and claiming it as your own work.” (plagiarism.org) Plagiarism can occur in many different ways. One does not have to have malicious intent when plagiarism occurs, it can happen by careless mistakes. Students who cut and paste information via the Internet without giving proper citation are guilty of plagiarism. Whether the infraction is blatant or accidental anytime you use other persons, work. For instance (dictionary.com) You are infringing on the United States Copyright law and are therefore subject to punishment.

Entry 31:

Ahh college is becoming too stressfull. I have a paper due next week and two tests and also whenever our evaluation paper is due in english. Unfortunately i did not hit the lottery so I can't quit school. I have to go home this weekend because i have to work sat and sun mornings, thus I will be working and doing homework alllll weeekend long...

Entry 32:

The weekend was great! I made some money and got to hang out with the girl friends. I also saw my cousins and spent sunday afternoon at their house. My little cousin brooke is 12 years old. She got this karaoke game for her x-box. She embarrassed me in that for a while because we sang alot of songs that would be appealing to a 12 year old girl. However the game did have some classic selections to offer, such as Mike Jacksons- Billie Jean and Elvis. The weekend was fun and I got alot accomplished. I heard that its going to snow tonight, so tomorrow is shaping up to be a great day, since there is nothing better than the year’s first snow. I can’t wait to see it.

Entry 33:

Like predicted it snowed today. It was snowing but not the light fluffy variety you would expect from the first snowfall. It was a heavy and wet mixture that made my morning trip to calculus very sloppy. I was cold and not dressed for the weather. Im excited because snow means winter and to me winter is the best season of the year. Yes, I love to ski but its mostly because of Christmas and my December Birthday. I cant wait for this holiday season. It will be easy to get my family and friends presents this year. I just have to get them some Penn State gear.

Entry 34:

I have so much work to do this week. An evaluation paper draft due in English for Friday, and an exam on thursday and monday. After this week is over I cant wait to relieve my mind from this stressfull week at the kanye concert and at a halloween party. I hope PSU destroys Purdue this weekend so we can move further up the rankings. I did alot of my work in the library last week, and I will continue to go because in there I am more efficient at managing my work.

Entry 35:

I cant wait for this weekend! On Friday Im going to the Kanye West concert at the Bryce Jordan Center. I am going with my girlfriend from back home and Sean Dillion and his girl from Dairy. It should be a good night, I hope Zola's is good. We have dinner reservations there for 5:15. I am taking janelle (my girlfriend) out this weekend for our one year six month anniversary. On saturday I am going home for a halloween party. It is at my girlfriend's aunt's house and should be a blast. This year I am going to be "Batman". I lucked out with my costume because I found one with the mask from the first movie. The movie where the Joker is played by Jack Nicholson. I am pleased because that mask is more appealing then the masks from the other four movies. This "Batman" theme for halloween is what sparked my interest in doing my evaluation on the new movie "Batman Begins" starring Christian Bale.

Entry 36:

The weekend did not disappoint, I had a great time at my Halloween party. I did not win best costume as Batman; I lost to Mrs. Donovan Mcnabb. My girlfriend’s uncle painted himself black, dressed like a girl, and ran around holding chunky soup cans. It was pretty funny, although I was disappointed. I did not get a good lift in today; I did triceps and felt very lethargic. On a brighter note, Penn State won again! We are kicking some a$$. Today I had a Bi Sci test and I think I did very well, but we will see. I have to finish my evaluation paper for tonight. I have a quiz in calculus tomorrow and a test on a Thursday in econ. I also have to decide what I am definitely going to do for my final project because I have a rough draft proposal due on Friday.

Entry 37:

(Tuesday Nov 1st)

I don't know why, but it is pretty depressing to get out of class at 5:30 and find that it is pitch black outside, although I do like the fall and winter months. I started looking for sources for my paper, and I don’t know if I’m just really bad at using the resources, but I am having a really hard time finding what I need. The week will be shaping up once my proposal is done and I take my econ exam. I love my girlfriend; she will be coming up on Saturday. She has been overly nice to me lately, but I like it. I was upset that the Steelers pulled off the one point come back victory last night, but “whad ya gona do”.

Entry 39:

As much as I love college, it really pisses me off sometimes. I am not talking about Penn State really, more just the workload I have been receiving. I'm not really on to complain, but it feels like it's never ending. Right when I finish a big exam, it is such a huge relief and boulder off my shoulders. However, the next night I have to go back and hit the books for a test I have in a few days for another class. Before I know it, I am taking another exam for the same class. It's like one big recurring cycle that I am trapped in and can't get out of. I just kind of wish I had just one week to chill and relax. I guess that is what Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are for. You do not believe how much I am anticipating those vacations.

Entry 40:

DiesProPosalDraft

Enrty 41:

11/7/05

Proposals I commented on:

MegSmith

LynnM1227

MegaN1354

Entry 42:

Readings on Steroids

http://www.drugabuse.gov/about/welcome/messagesteroids305.html

http://menshealth.about.com/cs/fitness/a/anab_steroids.htm

Entry 43:

After Mondays class I engaged in a quick 2 minute conversation with our professor which totally transformed my proposal. Still needs work but this is the new direction I'm headed. "The Decriminalization of Steroids" Everyone has a view on steroids whether or not it is shaped by mass media, schools, or peers. Not many people have a realistic idea of what steroids really are and what they do. I spent a few hours in various “diet and fitness” related chat rooms on the net while doing this proposal and found out that the common stereotype is that all steroids are harmful and produce breasts. Some people believe supplements such as creatine and weight gain powder are steroids, which is false. Throughout this paper I hope to define steroids and take a positive stand on there position in society.

Entry 44:

"Life is not always fair." This phrase or idea is one that has to be understood be all people otherwise were all going to go insane. Sometimes I feel guilty for being at college when I think of all the other misfortunate people in the world. Is it fair that I was brought up in a middle family with two loving parents when a new born child in Sudan dies of hunger and disease. Would that make me being in college with an opportunity to be successful in life unfair or unjust? Although it sounds ridiculous sometimes I believe that I don't deserve what I have because SO many people in this world have so little. This thought can trully drive a person insane but, the more we dwell on it the more we suffer. So then rather feel guilty for my blessings I'll make the best of what I got.

ProposalFinalDies

Entry 45:

I worked today at 6am. Im so tired and I have to work tommorow again at 6am. This defiantly sucks but I need to work as many hours as I can before christmas break so I can have lots of money to buy everyone in my family decent presents. I defiantly am a person who likes to give more than they recieve. Well those are my thoughts for the day now i must get rest so I can wake up at 5am. My heart has been crushed. I cannot believe what just happened. The Eagles just lost, 21-20. The entire game was dominated by the Eagles on all sides of the ball. We rushed like crazy, threw when needed, were putting points on the board, kept the Cowboys offense at bay, and did well on special teams. But when it came down to it we failed, once again, and are now below five hundred for the first time in a long time. I'm hurt. It was a tough loss to take. I can't believe that we didn't win. We played so much better than Dallas. I love McNabb but I think it's time for him to give it up for this year. He was hurting the entire game but he sucked it up, but when he got blocked trying to tackle Roy Williams it was too much. His season, as well as the Eagle's, is over. I hate to say it but it's true. Atleast we proved tonight that we don't need T.O. It's time to start regrouping and rebuilding for next year. I'm going to keep some hope alive but it would be tough to make the playoffs with the record we have now, and an injured McNabb. We'll see, maybe we'll pull an upset over NY next week. Only time will tell.

Entry 46:

I cant stand all the kids on my floor. They are all loud and annoying and deter me from sleeping peacefully at night. I cant wait till next year when I no longer live in poverty level dorms. I'm so tired from waking up the past two mornings at 5am. I napped for about 4 hours during the day but I'm still tired. I wish we didnt have class on tuesday so I could go home a day earlier. I must get rest so i can stay awake in my classes tommorow.

Entry 47:

The war in Iraq or the war on terrorism is a continuation of the crusades. Its ironic that to this day in the middle east the U.S. and other allies who are mostly christians and jews, fight terrorist in Iraq who are, sad to say, muslims. Rather than fighting for Holy Jerusalem Christians (United States) are fighting to capture muslim extremist who are threats to the United States. Some people might say the United States is in Iraq to secure a large portion of the world's supply of oil but, whatever the reason for the U.S.'s presence, this war in Iraq is a continuation of the Crusades.

Entry 48:

I might have blogged about it before but "Batman Begins" the movie is the greatest movie ever made. It has action, a solid storyline and above all, passion. It tells a story of a billionaire, Bruce Wayne who's anger in his heart for injustice drives him to become batman. In the beggining of the movie he searches and searches for his true identity. He falls time and again but he just gets right back up and tries harder and harder. There's a quote said by his father Thomas Wayne that simply gives hope, "Why do we fall, so we can learn to pick ourselves up." This quote has really inspired me not to give into laziness and depression this first semester of college. The world or people can really really REALLY bring us down sometimes, in other words we fall and to know that there is a purpose for life's adversity can help us through our struggles. Its purpose is to build character which will then help us to accomplish bigger and better things, we learn to pick ourselves up agian. Although we don't always take this point of view, its an underlying truth that we must hang on to.

Entry 49:

Finally I am at home. I bought some bittersweet mint ice cream to take home with me because it is delicious. Me and some of my highschool friends are going to the mug, where the best wings ever are, to get some food tonight. Most of my friends go to penn state hazleton and they have been home since friday. Well it is now time to make an apearance at the local eatery where I will be sure to see the losers whom I graduated with that went nowhere in life.

Entry 50:

I'm so pumped for thanksgiving. I get to eat at my grandmas then my girlfriends grandma's so I'm going to gain double the weight this year. The only bad thing about comming home is the unavailability of a gym. The gym i belong to in summer here at home charges steep entrance fees, charging $7 dollars for one time compared to much more reasonable rate for 3 months over summer. Thus im stuck doing pushups and only having forty lb dumbells. I suppose I can sacrifice 5 days of no physical activity. Christmas break will be too much of a stretch though. Well it is now time to feast!

Entry 51:

Today my friends and I thought it would be a great idea to play football with our day off college. Well it turned out to be one of the dumbest things I have ever done considering the snow on the ground, mixed with the wind, and the 5 degree weather. After that I picked up my girlfriend and we went to the mall to take part in the black friday crazyness. Then we catched ryan reynolds new movie, Just Friends. It was hilarious, almost as funny as wedding crashers. The plot is reynolds being an overweight loser who turns into a buff millionare who goes back to his home town to get the girl he was in love with in highschool. It was really funny if anyone gets bored they should defiantly go see it.

Entry 52:

I had a good time at home but now I have to adjust to the extreme amounts of work before the end of the semester. I just typed an eight page paper for my stupid first year seminar class. Everyone else I have talked too only have to attend their class to get an A. But nooooooooo I have to write 12 page paper and have tests every other day. I hate the steelers. I hate hines ward. I think they are over rated. The colts will rule supreme tonight. Colts win Guaranteed!

Entry 53:

After a week at home I didn't want to come back to classes, granted I missed some of the freedom and some of my friends from here, but I sure did not miss the workload. But here I am, back at school, and I have so much work waiting to get done. I really can't wait for classes to be over. I'm kind of nervous for some of my upcoming semesters because I know it's only going to get harder. Hopefully, I will be able to manage my time properly and continue to do well. We'll just have to wait and see.

Entry 54:

I watched a program about sex and STDs tonight on MTV and it was completely shocking. I have learned about STDs and such in the past, but some of the stuff I heard was flabbergasting. They stated that 50% of people by the time they are 25 have an STD. That's HALF! That is like one out of every two girls I hook up with. To me, that is just so scary knowing that these diseases are so common. On the show, they praised the only way to stay completely safe is abstinence, but for me that's almost impossible. I enjoy the company of women way too much to just give it up. They did say condoms are the next best alternative and are over 99% safe, so I did have some hope. I never want to get any STDs so I am going to make it a primary concern to stay safe. Remember; wrap it up before you tap it up.

Entry 55:

I'd like to write about the lottery they are planning on having for the bowl game tickets next week. From day one, I've wanted to go to the football team's bowl game, but i don't know if that is going to be possible. The selection for tickets is completely random. I like that I have a shot, but it's definitely no guaruntee. This is how they are planning to dispense the tickets. On Dec. 7 they are having all the season ticket holders go to the BJC to redeem a wristband with a number. Then, the following day you have to return to the BJC and line up in the order of your band's number. Next, they are going to choose a certain number and take a certain amount of people to receive tickets after that number. For instance, if they pick number 200, and they are giving away 1000 tickets, then people with wristbands numbered 200-1200 receive the opportunity to buy tickets. I like that it is fair, but it worries me that my number will not be picked. Also, I do not understand why I have to go back to the BJC and line up in the order of my band. It is going to be so hard and unorganized to line up those thousands of kids. I think they should just inform the kids whose numbers get chosen via email or something. The school claimed they were using this method so that students wouldn't camp out and miss classes, but kids are going to miss two days of classes anyway, so it is kind of stupid. All I know is that I really want to go so I am going to comply with their procedure and hope I get lucky.

Entry 56:

This rain is horrific. My shitty morning all started when I woke up and got all bundled up because it looked all cold and cloudy outside. It was somewhat warm but not too bad on the way to class. When I got in class is when I really had the problem. The heat was jacked up to like a million degrees and I had all heavy clothing on. For and hour and fifteen minutes I sat in class all hot and sweaty. It was so hard to concentrate being so uncomfortable. Then, on my way out of class, I was about to cross the street to go to the hub when a bus rides by and drenches me with dirty puddle water. I was furious but kept my cool and sucked it up.

Entry 57:

I caught the flu or some kind of virus this weekend. I slept mostly all weekend and accomplished nothing. Sunday night was the first time I left my dorm room all weekend. My friend whom wrestlers for Duquesne called me to tell me that he was in a wrestling tournament here at Rec hall. So I bundled up and spectated his one win of the day. I would have to say that wrestling is the most demanding sport. Not only do you have to be in great shape and be strong but you must be a certain weight which causes many wrestlers to starve themselves and take caffeine pills to cut water weight. The sport itself kind of grosses me out because I do not find it appealing to roll around with another guy on a mat. I'm defiantly not physically or mentally tough enough to wrestle too. Today is the day to apply for a housing contract online. Luckily my one friend whom I work with lives in nittany aparments asked me too live with him next year and wrote me down as a roomate. Therefore I think if I enter the lottery process to get in that area I will have no problem getting in there. I feel nittany apartments are the best living option here in state college. Not only will I live by football players, my rent is only $200 a month, which is peanuts compared to other apartments that are close to campus. The location of nittany apartments is near perfect, I will still be able to purchase a meal plan and eat on campus every day. Walks to class won't be very long and the gym is in close proximity. I'm pumped for next year, I'll have my own room and no longer be living in the poverty level dorms of East Halls.

Entry 58:

Well the Eagles are 2 miles in the shit whole after last nights embarassing loss to the seatlle seahawks. I didn't realize how many players the Eagles actually lost until John Madden read off the names of players that were on the team last year but not on the team this year. At the beginning of the season about every sports commentator was picking both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles to go to the super bowl this year. Now with a series of devistating injuries and unecessary conflicts with T.O. the Eagles stand with a 5 and 7 record with no hopes even for a wildcard spot. The patriots are also struggling with a 7 and 5 record. I think this goes to show you that it doesn't just take a great team to go to the superbowl. It takes a great team with healthy players and a little bit of luck to go to the superbowl.

Entry 59:

Why do girls run your life ? A good example of this would be my friend Brad from back home. He got his first serious girlfriend during our senior year of high school and let's just say that we don't hang out that much anymore. We were best friends and hung out all the time, but I, along with a bunch of other kids, got pushed off to the side when he began dating this girl. As a matter of fact 3 of his best friends no longer talk to him. It's funny how guys can get so easily distracted by girls. I wish it wasn't this way. Right now though I'm getting better at it. I'm not obsessing about the girlfriend!I'm trying to spend time with everybody. Hopefully everything will work out. We'll just have to wait and see.

Entry 60:

Everyday in Econ we listen to a song before class starts and my favorite one of the year was, "If I had a million dollars." I always sing the song in my head and now I'm thinking, "What would I do if I had a million dollars?" and here is what I've come up with. First of all I would want to spend some money on myself. I would buy my two favorite cars, a 1969 Corvette Stingray Convertible and a brand new 2006 Corvette Z06. Those two cars are amazing and I could die happy if I owned those babies. That would probably cost me about $200,000 so I would still have plenty of money to spend. So I would probably buy my family some cool stuff. My little sister has always wanted a Mustang, my older sister would probably want nothing but I'm sure I could find her something, and for my parents I would probably pay off their house in Florida for their retirement. So after all of this I would still probably have about half a million left over and what I would do with that is where I would really have some fun. I'd probably donate some to charity but the rest I would want to invest in some crazy idea in hopes to someday make many more millions. What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Entry 61:

December is such a great month. I love almost everything about it, except for maybe the cold weather. But I do love the snow when it comes. I love all the sledding, snowball fights, and football in the snow. I love the way it makes everything look so calm and peaceful, and how quiet it is when there is snow on the ground. But most of all I love Christmas. I love everything about Christmas. From gift giving to gift receiving, to Christmas songs and Christmas cookies. I can never get enough Christmas. It truly is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."