Wow, I Do Have a Life!

Well I must, because it's been like three weeks since I've updated this thing. And in those three weeks, a lot has happened. And I won't even bother talking about school, just know that I'm finally done with classes and I've got 5 tests next week.

Last week was Habitat for Humanity's Act!Speak!Build! Week, a program geared towards campus chapters and other youth groups with the intent of advocating change and raising awareness about poverty in America. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with how things went, purely from an attendance standpoint. Granted, we didn't do the greatest job of spreading the word, but it's tough when your entire e-board isn't willing/available to help. Hopefully next year will be better, and we can build on the events we did this year, like the BD's fundraiser, letter writing campaign, and guest speaker/movie night/sleep out at the Rock.

And last night, I went to the Habitat for Humanity of Michigan Awards Ceremony at the Kellogg Center. The evening was great, but the best part was the keynote speaker: Ernie Harwell. If you're a Tigers fan, then you definitely know the name. The man was the voice of the Tigers for 42 years, and I got to meet him. He was approaching the room where other Habitat members were waiting, and I was waiting outside the room for the other Habitat Lansing folks. He made direct eye contact with me, came right up, and extended his hand, saying "Good evening young man, good to see you." All I could do was shake his hand and say "Great to meet you Mr. Harwell."

Seriously, Ernie Harwell made last night, and hell, this entire school year, worth it. When you meet someone of that magnitude, it's something you don't ever forget. The life he's lived and the stories we heard last night are something a very rare few have ever experienced, and I'm glad he shared them.

Hello November.

Well October came and went. The Pistons opened up their season tonight with a loss against the Bucks. Did I watch the game, you ask? No, because the games show on some stupid channel that doesn't have a Lansing area affiliate. And because of that, it's very possible that I'll miss out on 25 games that are televised everywhere but here. Fantastic.

I have an interview with Honda next week. Regardless of what happens, it's 98% likely that I won't be working in Ohio anytime soon. I like Kentucky and Toyota too much to pass it up. As much as I'd like to travel and see as much of the country as possible, I'm pretty sure The Buckeye State has nothing to offer. Absolutely nothing.

Hard to believe there's only 6 more weeks left in the semester. I think now is as good a time as any to get my ass in gear and start pushing towards that finish line.

Oh yeah, Tigers lost the World Series to a much more deserving Cardinals team. They just outplayed and out hustled Detroit. At least there's something to look forward to next year. God knows the Lions won't win more than 5 games total in the next 3 years, and I really don't think anyone's paying attention to the Red Wings.

Untitled

It was taking too long for me to come up with a title, so I said screw it. Well, it's been a while since I posted anything here, but don't let that fool you. I haven't been occupied, busy, or even lazy. I've just had absolutely nothing to talk about. That's what happens when your life is the epitome of mediocrity.

Anyway, nothing new to write about school. It still sucks, only difference now compared to a month ago is that I've come to accept that I've still got 2 more years of this crap.

This past weekend I went downtown with the intent of doing some volunteer work, but when that fell through, I walked around Lansing and just took pictures. Then I went over to Baker Woodlot and brought the camera along as well. It's amazing out there this time of year, really peaceful. Some of the pics made it to Flickr.

After last night, the Tigers are down 2-1 to the Cardinals. Am I worried? I'd be lying if I said no. Hopefully tonight's outcome is a bit better; the hitting hasn't been able to get anything done lately.

And to end, Abbott Pointe Apartments suck. Honestly, if you live in the East Lansing area, don't live here. Our running water comes in just two temperatures-- scalding hot and lukewarm. There are random sounds at all times of the day, mostly from birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and mythical creatures running/flying/screwing and/or just spiting me. I honestly think the birds flying into my window know exactly what they're doing. I'll just end on that note.

Mother Nature's A Clever One

Just when I thought I had the old lady figured out, she goes and throws snow and wind right in my face. Anyway, let's recap the week, since I've done nothing but a whole lot of nothing today.

Tigers beat the Yankees, moved on the ALCS, and have an incredible 2-0 lead on the A's. This is probably the most excited I've been in a long while. To think that the same team that had 119 losses 3 years ago is on the verge of the World Series is heartstopping. Which, by the way, is actually what I felt last night, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th and Frank Thomas up to bat.

I had my second Dynamics exam yesterday. Want to know how it went? If you like me, you'll send a hate-filled email to my professor. Here's his website. That was easily the hardest exam I have ever taken, and believe me, I've flunked my fair share. The good news is that I'm not failing any of my other classes, so I'll still be a college student for at least another semester after this one.

I'm going home for part of this weekend. I kind of wish I weren't, mostly because it's fairly pointless. I'll make the most of it and be back Saturday night hopefully. Well now I'm just talking boring crap. Later.

6-0

Amazing. I haven't been this happy about a Detroit sports team since the Pistons won the championship.

Top 5 Reasons Game 3 was the best Tigers game all season:

5. Ernie Harwell doing the ESPN broadcast for a couple innings.
4. The incredible amount of energy 43,000 fans brought to Comerica Park.
3. Solid, clutch hitting with 2 outs.
2. Postseason baseball in Detroit for the first time in 19 years.
1. 41 year-old Kenny Rogers proving everyone wrong with a dominant curveball.

Here's hoping Game 4 tomorrow is the last we see of the Yankees.

Yes, A Second Post.

This one's a little more general, just a few things on my mind:

1) I realize the few people reading this might be reading this from facebook or some other source, the real address of this site is http://4ourthyear.blogspot.com. Just in case you were wondering.

2) A while back, I had a separate "A Photo A Day" blog. That got old pretty fast, so now I just post whatever photos I like the most on my Flickr page, which is http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstealth03. I don't take photography too seriously, it's just something I like to do.

3) MSU Football? Incredibly Disappointing. Lions Football? Somewhat disappointing. Tigers Baseball? Depressing end to a great season, but that gets tossed out the window tonight. Hope Game 1 is a bit better than the last 5 games of the regular season.

Here Comes October

It took 19 years, but thank Sweet Jesus that the Tigers finally made it to the playoffs. August might have been rough, but it's worth it. Seeing those guys celebrate in the locker room was such a great feeling, and I'm excited as all hell for them to wrap up the division.

Well, that was pretty much it for the good news. The pathetic Packers crushed the even more pathetic Lions, and honestly, I'm wondering if we'll ever get a win with such a lousy secondary. I mean, those guys are terrible.

And if John L. Smith isn't fired by the end of this season, that'll be a miracle in itself. Saturday night's game against Notre Dame was probably was one of the worst football games I've ever seen, at least from MSU's view. Any other fan would call it a classic, coming back from 17 down to score 19 unanswered. I know I was shocked, as were every one of the fans that the cameras laughed at.

Anyway, this week ought to be fun--not. It'll just be another week in which I pretty much struggle to get to the next day. But oddly enough, that's the way I like it, I don't like doing things 7, 6, 2 days in advance. I'll do it 5 hours before the damn thing is due, and that's just the way it's going to stay. I should probably get ready for class.