This weekend first began with an invigorating game against Purdue that sadly ended up in a loss for the Hokies in overtime.  I was able to get a ticket last minute as my friend had an extra ticket to the game.  While we lost it was a great atmosphere and a truly good game.  After that we began to celebrate Friday my friend’s birthday as we hung out and then went to a party.  My two friends from Roanoke College came to visit and were showed a good time.  I lost one of my favorite water bottles at the party that had Mountain Dew in it.  Later we returned to my dorm after making a stop at McDonald’s in which the lobby was closed so we preceded to the BK Lounge aka Burger King.  My two friends ordered food and I waited outside even though it was freezing cold.  I went to bed around 1:00 am and woke up around 11:00 I would say a solid night’s sleep.  Saturday night we stayed in and watched the HBO series Eastbound and Down.  Although an extremely vulgar show it has its interesting story lines.  It is mainly about the self-indulged life of an ex major league baseball player named Kenny Powers.  It is sometimes upsetting to see someone who is so self-absorbed.  It proved to be a very funny show even though sometimes you wanted to simply ask why? Sunday we continued to watch the second series and his foul mouth and promiscuity continued.  He starts in Mexico where he is a cock fighter and running a small village.  He finds some troubles and gains throughout his travels.  He later finds his dad who calls the authorities on his own son.  All in all he returns home and marries the love of his life who is pregnant with his baby.  It is a funny however extremely vulgar show and should most definitely not be watched with little children.  Once again I hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend.  It was nice having class with each and every one of you guys.             

My Thanksgiving break began with the conclusion of a Calculus test that ended around 1:00 pm.  I then grabbed a ride with one of my surf club friends as we made a five hour trek to Norfolk.  He dropped me off at the ODU sailing house where my friend was hanging out.  I continued to spend the rest of the weekend with my friend mark who attends ODU.  Two of my friends also drove down from Ocean City, NJ to visit mark and i.  We enjoyed some ODU parties while meeting some new people and enjoying a day trip to Virginia Beach where we skated around enjoyed the beach and ate some delicious burritos.  We then began another 5 hour ride back to the hometown of ocean city.  We packed four guys and surfboards, skateboards, and luggage into a little scion tc which made for an interesting ride home.  we caught the ferry from delaware to new jersey around four where we enjoyed a nice boat ride.  After we got home my mom had baked ziti and homemade meatballs waiting for me and my friends.  The rest of the week consisted of a whole lot of nothing.  Simply relaxing and enjoying time with friends i had not seen in quite a while.  I spent time having fires and dorking around with 4 of my best friends.  We talked story and had a great time.  Friday we woke up for shopping only to realize what a waste of time it would be to sit in line all morning.  Later that day we went surfing as it was the only day there were waves all week.  We enjoyed a cold but satisfying chest high swell that turned out to be a lot of fun.  I also had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner with my relatives as we all shared turkey and stories to catch up on old times.  all in all i enjoyed a great break with my friends and family and cannot wait to finish up finals and go home for a month to some crispy winter surf.  I also cannot wait to hit up the fresh snowfall at snowshoe mountain in WV.     

Surfari?  Most of you are probably wondering what the heck a surfari is or maybe you thought I simply spelled safari wrong.  Well surfari was the theme or a party I went to this weekend that ended up being a lot of fun.  The title was surfari however the theme was left up for interpretation.  There was every kind of themed outfit you could think of from the Steve Irwin look, to the classic lifeguard, to your everyday surfer look.  It was really an interesting scene as the term surfari probably made by mixing the popular Beach Boys title “Surfing Safari”.  It was run by the surf club so it obviously had to relate to some sort of surf theme.  In general I find themed parties to be quite humorous as the amount of themes is endless.  You have overused themes such as CEOs and office hoes and then you a theme such as Welcome to the Jungle.  Every themed party is a good time as no two people are wearing the same outfit unless otherwise planned.  They allow you to be funny and unique while having a good time on the dance floor.  My favorite is the rave theme where you get to wear bright clothes and dance like a fool and nobody will question your motives.  Either way I always have a great time when there is music and lasers at a party.  I hope everyone enjoyed there weekend and i hope everyone had fun but was safe.  See you guys in class.

Oh the beautiful town of Roanoke.  This weekend me and my bros took a trip to my friends house in Vinton just outside of roanoke.  we decided it would be healthy to get off of campus and stay in a home setting for a few days.  We had a great time meeting some of his friends from back home while playing some friendly football at a local middle school.  we got to eat some good breakfast and some decent dinners.  Friday night we hung out and relaxed away from the partying this weekend and stress of school work.  We enjoyed spending time off campus especially since saturday ended up being such a beautiful day.  After football we made some sandwiches enjoyed some college football and later made plans to see a movie.  We saw due date with zack galifinakas in it.  It turned out to be a good and funny movie but not like superbad or hangover funny it was simply different.  while at the movie theatre i was carded twice for it being a rated R movie.  it made me feel young again.  i also saw a range rover parked sideways taking up two spots.  while it was a nice car you do not see that much where i am from.  After the movie we traveled into the heart of roanoke past the founding of Dr. Pepper where we ended up at a dive called the Texas Tavern.  it was an experience as my friend sat next to what appeared to be a homeless fellow and the waitors were interesting people.  the man who took the orders simply shouted the orders to the chef who never messed up.  i got a bowl of chilli and a cheesy with.  the chilli was great and the cheesy with was a burger with eggs onions and pickles.  The people that came through there were quite the characters.  later we rode around got a tour of vinton and roanoke then went home.  it was great to get off campus for a few days and relax without the pressures of college surrounding you.  i had a great time this weekend and cannot wait until thanksgiving break.    

Parents weekend on Halloween weekend what a great decision.  Well it did not bother me as i had not seen my parents in about two and a half months.  They showed up Friday afternoon where i later met up with them after class, walked around, and then had dinner.  After dinner they went back to the hotel to get some rest after driving for about 8 hours that day.  Friday night i went out to a party had a good time met some girls while dressed up as Hyde from “That 70s show”.  The next morning i woke up around 11 and met up with my parents to open a checking account at the local Wachovia bank.  I then had to volunteer for an hour at the Big Event flag football tournament.  After volunteering me and my parents walked downtown and bought some gifts for people back home including my brother who recently turned 24.  Appropriately I bought him a large glass beer mug and two VT shot glasses.  Then we grabbed a little snack at squires and later went out to a very nice dinner at the Olive Garden in Christiansburg.  After dinner we returned to campus and met up with some of my friends here and then watched a disappointing 6-1 loss to Duke in soccer.  All in all I think my parents enjoyed seeing me and had a good time at Tech.  I said my goodbyes as they left really early this morning to get back home at a reasonable time.  Saturday night I went to a surf club social and then a party that was huge dressed as a hick.  I hope everyone had a good and safe weekend and like Ashley said never forget your roots. 

Well hello everyone, it is just another monday assignment so i figured i would write about something i find quite enjoyable.  Everyone has their own taste in music some like rap some like rock and some even like both and etc. However, if you walk past my dorm room most likely you will be hearing the uplifting sounds of some reggae beats.  While i do not listen to a ton of classic island reggae i still do enjoy the legend of Bob Marley.  Some of the numerous bands i listen to are JBB, The Movement, Passafire, Rebelution, and Iration along with many others.  I am almost positive that only a handfull of you will know maybe only one band i just listed.  Just to let all of you know i do not follow the typical stereotypical reggae lover as i have not smoked a day of my life.  I enjoy the music because i consider it feel good music as they keep the bass running, provide mellow guitar solos, and use a lot of tubbing to make their music trippy.  No matter the situation if i throw on some of my favorite reggae i will instantly become calm.  There is something about the way they sing and use other instruments that allows me to relax and enjoy the musical quality.  This past year i ventured to about 4-5 concerts all of which cost me under $100 together.  I saw some of my favorite bands while listening to some i had never heard of before.  Growing up in the surfing community with my select group of friends, we all enjoyed reggae from the start.  If you ever find yourself in a pickle throw on some reggae music and chill.  You can listen to reggae regulary and even think about smoking, i have been accepted by everyone when i tell them i have never smoked.  if you do not already have reggae on your i-pod or music device i suggest that you have at least one song to enjoy in rough times.

Here is a list of some good bands

John Brown’s Body

Bob Marley

The Movement

Iration

Passafire

Matisyahu

Rebelution 

Stick Figure

Staylefish

Echo Movement

Tribal Seeds

Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds 

From the earliest times in the history of the world facial hair has been a popular thing among growing men.  Whether it was a cave man’s beard used to stay warm or Martin Van Buren’s sideburns which at the time was a display of wealth.  Does a handlebar mustache automatically denote you to be a badass or simply a clown searching to be a badass.  Does a scruffy five o’clock shadow deem you to be lazy or simply going for the GQ look.  Does facial hair continue to be a sign of social class or describe one’s personality?  I think facial hair is a little bit of everything whether it describe a personality, show wealth, define a look, or simply lazy men.  You can watch any show about the 70’s when mustaches were a big deal and simply a style.  A long sgraggly beard might describe someone to be a biker bro or simply and older wise man.  A scruffy beard might remind you of the average college kid or maybe some male model on the front of a magazine going for the hard worker look.  Does a full trim beard make you a mountain man or say that you are trying to be a he-man.  I right now am kind of wearing the 70’s sideburns to mustache combo but what does it say about me.  I often enjoy being that classic guy.  I enjoy oldies music while driving in my 1963 Ford Falcon or driving my dad’s 1965 Chevy Corvair.  I have grown up with a dad born in the 50s while we enjoyed classic car shows and music together.  Being a classic person has always been a part of my life.  Nothing like wearing a short bathing suit, carrying your surfboard, listening to the beach boys.  Does my facial hair define me, well not entirally but to a point yes.  It defines me to be one who enjoys living like the golden days of american culture.  that is all i have on facial hair today.     

Well began my fall break as i woke up friday morning at 7:30 am to leave for Cape Hatteras, NC with the VT Surf Club.  After driving past cotton fields and driving through old run down towns for seven hours we arrived in Kill Devil Hills.  We instantly found a local restaurant to eat at and then proceeded to relaxing on the beach.  We then partied a little and had a bonfire in Kitty Hawk where we played fun games such as never have i ever and hot seat where we found out a lot about everyone.  The next day we woke up around 9 grab some food and lunch then headed south to oregon inlet to surf.  We drove onto the beach to see only a small wave breaking but stayed optimistic anyway.  After some surfing and some chilling we went down further south to salvo where we stayed until like 6:30.  We ended up finding some real fun surf there aside from the stings of jellyfish.  It was a true experience watching pelicans and dolphins cruise along the water surface.  We then partied at a local surf shop and later at the house.  The next day after cleaning up the house we went down the  beach to toss a frisbee and swim.  i soon got a call from my best friend saying he would be in hatteras in like 30 minutes.  It was truly awesome to see him and to be able to surf with him again.  His dad was also there who is almost like my second dad.  back home when im not at my house i am with them.  seeing my friend at the beach and surfing with him for a little while really was a good end to the weekend being as i had not seen him for about 3 months.  All in all i had a great fall break. 

After bing accepted to both NC State and VA Tech I was forced to make a decision on which school to go to for my college education.  Of course as i sit here and write this paper it is for a Tech english class and not State.  I personally enjoyed the football game this weekend as the school i denied acceptance lost and the Hokies prevailed. Alright enough with football eventhough it seems to be a popular topic as i write this paper while watching the Eagles.  Pre-gaming oh what an interesting term as it has absolutely nothing to do with being athletic or necessarily playing a game.  Pre-gaming as known by most college students is when one drinks excessivly prior to going to a party thus saving them money and leaving more time to dance and have a good time.  However, sometimes pre-gaming can lead to a poor night as you are already too sloshed to even enjoy the party.  Pre-gaming although thought of to be a normal thing to do is not always a great idea.  Some people get caught pre-gaming to hard causing them to be tired and weak for the game.  the games played in pre-gaming may be beer pong, thunderstruck, and drinking games that involve cards such as drunk driver and ride the bus.  It really is an odd thing seeing people show up to a party already absolutley hammered.  Along with pre-gaming there are many ways to refer to a drunk person with different terms.  Some of these terms are plastered, shit-faced, sloshed, hammered, trashed, wasted and many othes.  I find the whole terminology around drinking to be quite humorous.  Well i hope everyone had a great, fun, and safe weekend.   

I have had my first test or major assignment in every class except for one and it is a true wakeup call for the rest of the semester.  While so far I have not found any terrible grades received back I have not done as well as I would like so it might be time to step it up.  I plan to find a way to improve either my study habits and/or time management over the next part of the semester.  I hope to bring my grades back up in the next test or so to ensure I maintain an acceptable GPA.  It is tough coming from high school thinking you know everything as high school came pretty easy to me and stepping into college as a little fish in a big sea again.  It is extremely frustrating to realize that college is no walk in the park.  I can only relate my physics test as a baseball game and high school being the equivalent of a middle school game and college pushing close to the major leagues.  Every question was the same as a high school question but with some kind of curveball involved in the making.  My engineering test proved to be much harder than the years past which we were allowed to use as practice tests.  The questions reached deep into some real specifics while the math problems proved to pick my brain for the nitty gritty of my math knowledge.  My Calculus II test I experienced that the practice problems will never relate to the test questions in terms of difficulty.  The questions asked took the practice problems to the next level thus really testing my knowledge of the material.  I have one more first round test due Tuesday which I plan on studying for, for the next three days.  I will hopefully obtain a full understanding of the material to do well on this last exam.  I have come to learn my lesson that college actually involves understanding not just basic knowledge.  Although a rude awakening I came out alright of my first major assignments and hope to continue to better my test taking abilities and study habits.  There are many resources to find help in those subjects and to help any better their college academic experience.  If anyone needs help you can look on the VT website and there are many options from study help to writing help.   Use the resources because technically you are paying a lot of money for them.