Halloween ain't happy

I've never understood why people get so hyped up about Halloween.  As a kid I enjoyed it because I got free candy, but since I stopped trick-or-treating, I've sort of despised the holiday. Maybe I've hated it ever since my favorite pet of all time, Chadwick, got killed on Halloween by our rambunctious teenage neighbors for the simple fact that he was a black cat.  Or maybe I find Halloween to be offensive because it's every girl's excuse to dress like a whore once a year, and just blow it off by saying it's a "costume".  

Nonetheless, my distaste for the holiday just increased.  On UK's campus today, an effigy of Barack Obama was found hanging from a tree, with a noose around the neck.  

Deplorable. 

What is this?  1870's Georgia?  The thing that irks me is that you know there are some kids out there laughing their butts off, thinking it was hilarious.  I'm just embarrassed, to be honest. Kentucky really is backwards.

Apple = Dependability?

I am the proud new owner of a 15 inch MacBook Pro.  After years of lusting after one, I finally took the plunge and got one.  It was supposed to be my graduation present from my parents, but I took the advice of some computer guru friends that I should wait until Apple released their new product later in the summer.  Well later in the summer turned into earlier in the semester, and earlier in the semester turned into October, and I was still without one.  But due to my dedication to Apple, and the trust that I was putting in my gurus, I held out for it, and here it is.  My brand new MacBook Pro.  It's a beaute.

I must embarrassingly admit that I know very little about computers.  Besides checking my email and downloading music and pictures, I am an ignorant fool.  It's always awkward for me when fellow Apple owners get overly excited about me joining the family and they start talking about all the different programs and softwares, and I sit there and just nod my head like I know what they are talking about.  I don't even know what software is.  And how does the internet work?  I just don't get it.  Anyway, it's also problematic when all those Apple haters out there in the world ask me why I would change from PC to Mac, I enter pretender mode and say that it has much better media editing programs, it's "user friendly", and it is much more dependable than PC's, rarely ever crashing.  Cue change of subject.

But now one of my arguments is invalid.  I have owned this computer for 5 days, and it has already failed me.  I was having a great afternoon, enjoying this wonderful autumn Kentucky day at home, watching the Aggie soccer babes play CU on tv, and chatting away on gmail with an old friend, when my computer started making a funny noise.  I'm used to PCs making weird noises, so I didn't think twice about it, then all of a sudden, the noise stopped and the backlight on my screen went off.  No matter what I did, it stayed dim.  I then called Apple Care and talked to a very nice British lady for a while, trying to figure out how to get this working again.  She had me take out the battery and hold down the power key for 30 seconds (again, I have no idea what that was doing) and then she told me to put the battery back in.  Hmmm, well, I tried, and I tried some more.  All the while I am on the phone with her, and I ask her if there is some trick to this.  She tells me to put the phone down and try it then.  So I do that, and as I am trying to put her on speaker phone, I hang up on her.  Oh well, no big deal, I'll just call back when I get the battery back in.  Well the battery doesn't go back in.  I end up getting it jammed half way, so now I am stuck with a computer that barely lights up in the first place, and now has to remain plugged into the wall since the battery isn't properly installed.

I must say though that Apple's customer service is first class.  They were extremely nice and stayed on the phone with me for an hour trying to get my computer working.  When they realized it was a hard drive problem, they told me to ship it back in, and they will send me a completely new machine.  I can't really complain about that, except that if there was a week I needed a lab top all year, it's now.  With my first block coming to an end in the next two weeks, I have studying galore to do, and much of that studying is done on the computer.  I guess I will have to stick to my poor ol' Dell desk top to get the job done.

So thanks, Apple, for the warm welcome to the family.

War wound

Pretty, ain't it?

It's still a part of me

I read a blog earlier this week of a friend who said she was just missing something in her life. She was a former college athlete like myself who was fessing up to the fact that she was not over it, not ready to put away those cleats and ball. When I read it, I understood where she was coming from, but I couldn't really identify with it. Yes, of course I miss soccer. It was a huge part of my life for 18 years. But now I've moved on to something even more challenging and demanding than college athletics was. I don't have much time to sit around and think of days of old, I'm too focused on staying afloat with medical school.

But then tonight, in an effort to procrastinate studying as much as possible, I got on to TexAgs to find the score of the Aggie soccer game tonight. Someone had posted a link to watch live video, so I quickly followed that and watched the second half of the game vs Nebraska. Almost half of the A&M team are newcomers, people I don't know personally, just names I've only read about in score columns. Yet, I sat here in my apartment, listening to the commentators talk about the game, hearing the faithful fans in the background doing yells, and seeing these girls fight their heart out on that field on Senior Night, and my world just stopped. I literally felt like time stood still for the first time in a long time. Where did the last year of my life go? It's been a year since I was there on that same field, celebrating the end of my career at A&M.


Being an Aggie soccer player was something that I never took for granted, praise the Lord. I truly believe I soaked up every second I had that maroon and white uniform on, completely living in the moment. I had experienced the other side of college athletics - two losing seasons, an outsider on my team, a verbally abusive coach, and zero self confidence. A&M turned my world upside down. The team accepted me with open arms, the coaches were excellent and sincerely cared about my well being, and I now proudly own 3 Big 12 Championship rings. I lived the dream for three years. Chartered flights, free gear, fame, and building life-lasting relationships. My club coach had always told me that college athletics would not be the same as club soccer; that club would be the most fun I'd ever have playing soccer in my life because once you reach the collegiate level, it's more of a business. Well he was wrong. That wasn't the case at A&M. That team was my family. I got invited by my coaches to Easter dinner because they knew I couldn't make it home for the holiday. Our director of operations invited me over to his house one night when he knew I was having a bad week dealing with scholarship and relationship problems. When Spencer died last year and I was supposed to leave practice early to go to the funeral, the coaches called practice early for everyone so that I wouldn't feel bad leaving or have to make a scene. What other program in the country is like that?


So tonight I was watching the team in a hard fought battle against the Huskers, and I thought I was over it. I thought I was doing well watching the game as just a spectator. But as soon as Hooper scored the game winning goal, everything changed. Seeing the girls celebrate and watching the fans go crazy got to me. Tears started forming and I didn't understand why. It's not like this was a huge game that the Ags had to win to save their season. Besides it being senior night, there was nothing special about the game. And that's when it hit me. It's not that I miss the game so much. I miss the team. A group of girls who'd do anything for me, who'd pick me up after I missed a critical shot and tell me I'll get the next one. The girls who'd make me cookies, or write me an encouraging note and leave it in my locker when things weren't going so great. Girls and coaches who still send me text messages while I'm up here in KY just saying they miss me. I miss jumping on Ashlee after she scores yet another goal, or hitting Ketchum or Petey in the chest like we're football players after they make an incredible defensive stop. The passion that I lived my life with day in and day out while I was in Aggieland will never be matched again.

So I realized something tonight: I'm not over it. And I doubt I will ever be. Because you can't get over something that made such a huge impression on your life. And while I don't want to live in the past, I am thankful that the past will always be a part of me. Because what I experienced for those three years was special, and I pray that I will never, ever get over it.






*first 3 pictures taken by Spencer Selvidge
1) Winning in 2OT against UNC (2006)
2) Cover of Battalion (2007)
3) Celebrating my goal against Mizzou at Big 12 Tourny (2007)
4) Senior night (2007)

Birthdays

Birthdays don't make sense to me. I want them to because I love them so much, but really, they aren't anything special. Who came up with the idea of celebrating them? Here's my problem with them: 1. everyone has a birthday, and chances are you share your birthday with at least a few of your friends (I can name 5 of my friends who were all born on October 14th) - so you really aren't "special" on your "special day", 2. you did nothing/had no influence on your day of birth. If anything, all birthdays should be spent thanking your mother for going through all the pain and trouble of bringing you into this world. 3. No one really cares when it's your birthday, they only say "happy birthday" to you because they know that's what you want to hear, and because they realize that when it's their birthday, they want you to say "happy birthday" to them too. Honestly, how often have you been genuinely excited about one of your friend's birthdays (except the fact that you may be going out and doing something fun with a group of your best friends in celebration)? It's just a weird concept, that's all I'm saying. Cynical? Maybe.

Nonetheless, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW! Wish you weren't halfway around the world so that we could celebrate turning the big 21 with you! (I bet Matthew doesn't write a blog about your birthday, which must mean that I love you more.)

Love, your favorite sibling.

PS - This post by no means gives anyone an exemption from wishing me a happy birthday next week. Birthday cards and baked goods are graciously accepted.

Guest Writer #1 - "The Hunted"

I've been looking to bring a little edge to this blog by posting other people's works, opinions, or stories. Much to my delight, this morning I awoke to find this delightful email from my brother who is studying abroad in Russia this semester. I have condensed it due to the impressive length of his email, but making sure not to leave any critical parts out. Please do enjoy.


Today I was to go to a college class in the History department where they are discussing American culture. Alone, I was to embark upon this journey, however, my roommate Russ came along, and praise the Good Lord he did. I showed up at the class, having been told nothing but the time and place. As soon as I met the professor, before she asked our names, she pondered, "What will you be talking about?" To this Russ and I had no response, as we had not been told anything. So we just went for it. We jumped in front of a small class (8 girls and 1 sleeping male) and introduced ourselves. We mentioned differences we witnessed in American culture, and then took questions. It went fairly well, but I wish we had known to prepare for something. My assignment for next week is to teach about American cities. I have given little thought to this as of yet, but I figured I'll talk about Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, and maybe some southern city like Nashville or Atlanta. I don't know, that sounds like a lot.

I only made one big plunder today during class. Someone asked about the American view on the Georgia-Russia situation, and I responded that Americans do not understand why Russia attacked Georgia. At the word "attacked" the class jumped. I could tell they were not happy with this interpretation of the events. I tried to explain my way out of that, but I'm not sure how successful I was.

Well, as to the title of this email, Russ and I are learning, nay, experiencing what it feels to be gazelles. Coming to Russia, we were told that Russians may target Americans as fresh meat. After living here four weeks, we considered this myth simply fancies of American minds. Alas, we have discovered this to be otherwise. (Though, I do not have the time for it, I am currently reading The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. As I eat out of the palm of Daniel Defoe, I can't help but think it is influencing this very email in which I write to you. I love the way he spells things. In his book, written in the early 18th century, English is spelled as it sounds. It is fun, nay, glorious. But alas, I digress; back to the hunt.

Several nights ago, Russ and I were getting ready for bed and had just turned the lights off when we heard Артён, our Russian friend that we played soccer with that I told you about. Well, he was outside our room, and we could hear the voices of two Russian girls. As our room is out of the way in the dormitory, we thought this strange. A minute or two later we heard a knock on the door. Russ and I scrambled to the threshold, jumping into pants as quickly as we could manage. The door opened and to our surprise, we saw not the likes of man, but that of the lioness. Two girls, Леза and Катя (Lee-zah and Kat-yah… a.k.a. Lisa and Kate), came forth into our room with one purpose; to pounce. A common dorm room quickly transformed into an African savannah. It was every gazelle for himself, and Russ was the prize catch. Since our first meeting, the girls have lost some aggressiveness. We have found them to be normal, friendly girls; though I often worry if the lioness is but hiding under gazelle clothing. Also, Russ is no longer the juiciest of catches, but I have received some attention as well. Russ and I were unsure if they had already paired us off in their minds, as we have always all spent time together. Tonight, we went on a walk with them and we are now under the impression that Lisa likes Russ and Kate likes me. Of course, I am very proud of these results, as Kate knows much more English and is more attractive, in my humble opinion.

As I write this email, Russ is out cleaning out mugs and getting ready because the girls are coming to our room tonight for tea. Oh I think I hear them now. It is fun to actually have Russian friends that speak English, but not a whole lot of English. Also, I must admit that the attention from attractive Russian females is also welcome and enjoyable. We haven't had any serious discussions with them yet –for example, religion – but those things are very personal in Russia. In fact, we had protestant Russians come in to one of our classes as guest lectures, and someone in our group asked them how they came to be saved, and the Russians literally could not answer the question. They sat in shock and did not know how to respond. Religion is simply not a topic of discussion in Russia.

So anyways, back to the girls. We enjoy spending time with them, but we think it is best we get to know them better before we start asking big questions. Another example, we still don't know how they ended up on our doorstep. Russ and I think it best to wait a while before we ask why they chose to knock on our door. But do not worry about Andrew. There has been no romance between anyone nor any physical contact. We just spend time together and talk. Russ and I are just having fun and getting to know Russians. We have no plans of starting relationships. Now, I cannot promise the ultimate outcome of our actions, but I believe we are acting with wisdom, caution, and fun. The guys here have had some good Bible studies and discussions together. Russia has been good.

Until next time,
Andrew the Jones