Well, a month has come and gone since that eventful day when I walked across the stage on the Grove City College Quad and accepted my diploma. In that month since, seldom a day has gone by that I have not thought back to the great times that I had during those four short years.
As my friends and I have gone our separate ways and immersed ourselves in the process of trying to take life seriously, I wanted to take a second to reminisce. At no other point in my life will I have the opportunity to live with all of my best friends for an extended period of time. Hopefully my friends and I will have the ability to reconvene every year or so at a beach house, but the days of living like family with my friends have been extinguished. And while I am certainly disappointed that those times have passed me by, I will eagerly and excitedly look forward to our reunions.
More than think about the times that have passed me by, though, I wanted to write about the great memories that I made and the great times that will surely come.
While college provided me with one of the greatest growing experiences one could ask for, I felt more than adequately prepared to become an engaged citizen of the "real world." Sure college was mildly difficult, but in no way was Grove City the "real world."
My walk in the "real world" offers many opportunities that I am anxious to experience. Without any pre-conceived thought or interest, I managed to graduate college with an awesome girlfriend. With slightly more thought and interest, I also managed to graduate college with a great job. Finally, with perhaps the most thought and interest, I graduated college with a group of some of the best friends a person could ask for. With these amazing parts of my life set, I am now ready to seize the day.
Now you may be wondering what parts of college I am missing the most. Well, college offers a unique situation in which you can openly go to a bar for lunch with the sole intention of drinking until inebriation and no one seems to judge you. Conversely, you spend a lot more weekends sleeping away the day and being utterly unproductive.
A college education would not be well-rounded without a glut of personal learning experiences. Playing lacrosse on a whim my senior year offered me a chance to meet a great group of people and play some great competition with virtually no playing experience. Drinking beer with alumni taught me the value of moderation and how to have a strong will. Dealing with self-righteous, judgmental Grovers taught me to value the opinions of those that matter and not those that think of themselves as superior. And finally, intramural sports taught me the need to maintain a calm head during all competition.
I urge each and everyone of you to take the time to truly enjoy the college experience. Value each and every moment that you have living with your best friends, all the time that you spend sleeping through class because you were out late bonding with friends, and try to learn something during your four short years.
If you have any good stories or advice that you want to share, post them in the comments, I'd love to hear them.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Summer Time Sports
Well ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of year when sports fans suffer from an overdose of mediocre baseball and are forced to hear about the third string running back who just might make an impression at this years pre-season football workouts. Living in Pittsburgh my entire life, I am used to watching sub-par baseball throughout the summer.
Lately, however, there has been some Pirates news that actually got me off the couch and interested. Local Pine-Richland high school star Neil Walker is making a name for himself on the Pirates roster. Drafted as a catcher, Walker has enjoyed most of his success at second base, where he currently holds the starting job. It will be interesting to see the young career of Walker develop over the next few months.
Another very intriguing Pirates story comes in the form of Stephen Strasburg's first Major League start. The 21-year old pitching sensation will make his Major League debut against the Pirates tonight at 7:05 in Washington. Be sure to catch this hyped performance of the 2009 number one pick.
As the Stanley Cup finals approaches its conclusion and the NBA Finals looks to crown a champion, may I offer a summer alternative to baseball. The 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11 as host nation South Africa faces Mexico. There is plenty of intrigue to hold anyone's attention and for the casual soccer fan, there are plenty of big matches. For the USA their biggest match comes in their opening game vs. England on Saturday June 12.
Outside of the individual games, there are plenty of players looking to make a mark at this years World Cup. Some of the players to watch include the USA's Clint Dempsey, Spain's David Villa, Argentina's Carlos Tevez, and Brazil's Robinho. While there are certainly plenty of other brilliant players such as Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, and Rooney, the players listed above will definitely make an impact, but are lesser known outside of the soccer community. Enjoy watching the individual brilliance of these great players and the masterpieces that teams will most certainly produce. Whatever your interests, just remember that this is the beautiful game.
Closing Thought: In many countries across the world, the World Cup means a drastic drop in work productivity, a large increase in alcohol consumption, and a general sense of pride and community that only an event as big as the World Cup can create. As a reminder to my US readers, please take the time to enjoy this great game and maybe a quality beer along with it.
Lately, however, there has been some Pirates news that actually got me off the couch and interested. Local Pine-Richland high school star Neil Walker is making a name for himself on the Pirates roster. Drafted as a catcher, Walker has enjoyed most of his success at second base, where he currently holds the starting job. It will be interesting to see the young career of Walker develop over the next few months.
Another very intriguing Pirates story comes in the form of Stephen Strasburg's first Major League start. The 21-year old pitching sensation will make his Major League debut against the Pirates tonight at 7:05 in Washington. Be sure to catch this hyped performance of the 2009 number one pick.
As the Stanley Cup finals approaches its conclusion and the NBA Finals looks to crown a champion, may I offer a summer alternative to baseball. The 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11 as host nation South Africa faces Mexico. There is plenty of intrigue to hold anyone's attention and for the casual soccer fan, there are plenty of big matches. For the USA their biggest match comes in their opening game vs. England on Saturday June 12.
Outside of the individual games, there are plenty of players looking to make a mark at this years World Cup. Some of the players to watch include the USA's Clint Dempsey, Spain's David Villa, Argentina's Carlos Tevez, and Brazil's Robinho. While there are certainly plenty of other brilliant players such as Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, and Rooney, the players listed above will definitely make an impact, but are lesser known outside of the soccer community. Enjoy watching the individual brilliance of these great players and the masterpieces that teams will most certainly produce. Whatever your interests, just remember that this is the beautiful game.
Closing Thought: In many countries across the world, the World Cup means a drastic drop in work productivity, a large increase in alcohol consumption, and a general sense of pride and community that only an event as big as the World Cup can create. As a reminder to my US readers, please take the time to enjoy this great game and maybe a quality beer along with it.
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