Super Bowl Weekend and Austrelian Open Champion

This weekend was awesome. First off, the Australian open was going on, and I was really hoping for Nadal to win. Well, the story book ending happened, when Nadal and Federer squared off. The match was so so so intense. Nadal won the first one ever though he was down 4-5, won 3 strait to win the set. Federer won the second set, Nadal won the third in tiebreaker, then Federer convincingly won the 4th 6-2, and then Nadal for the finish. It was Nadal´s 1st win at the Australian grand slam, and it was so cool to see.



But the biggest game by far was the Superbowl. I was so excited. I ended up doing no homework this weekend; it was so bad. Joe, our friend that works for UCO in Lansing, but who is from Pittsburg and a die-hard Steelers fan, came down to Ann Arbor to watch the game with us. Man Month was over (Nooooo!!!) and so we had a shaving party Saturday night. We all hung out and had a good time. We also filmed footage for the Man Month Video (stay posted for that!). Sunday morning we all woke up and 6 of us ended up going to Christ the King. It was the first time since Easter Vigil that I had been there, and it rocked. It was funny because A couple of us had some scraggy beards that were like weird, haha. So we got a lot of completements because we were 6 big dudes with weird beards...just like we like it. After that we went to Big Boys, second time I have ever been there. It was unusually warm, but that was a good thing. After we chilled there for like 2 hours, Joe me and Ben came back to the Pentadude momentarily and then went to on of the brother´s house.

There at the house they have this sick HD TV that is really sweet. I got to see some of the tennis rerun and it was so cool. Then we played some more Settlers of Catan, and this was one epic game. We played for about an hour and a half, and we stopped with me having 9 points (9 points! I needed one more!). Then the game started, and it was epic. So here is the thing: I dont care who wins. I love Curt Warner, and Breaston and Woodley, so like I was fine either way. And the resceiver for Arizona, Fitzgerald was so so so good. I was amazed. And the interception in the goal line for the 100 yard return by a big linebacker was epic. I was jumping all around having a good time. But then the tides turned when Arizona caught up in the fourth and actually scored with a few minutes to play. And then with just a few seconds on the clock, Pittsburg scored again with a rediculous catch in the end zone! It was so nuts and I was going bonkers! Hahaha.




Then after the football game we watched the special edition of the Office and it was pretty funny. The commercials were pretty good this year. There were a lot of good ones. The highlife commercial was aweomse, haha. This one was one of my favorite ones:


Then we came back to the settlers game, and I was supposed to win but then freakin Ben came back and won! No way! I was supposed to win and lost at the very end! He accumilated 3 points on his turn and came back to beat me. I should have won! Every time I play the expansion set I loose by 1. I always have 9 and am always ruined! Oh well, it was a fun night with the dudes. And I didnt do any homework, so it was pretty sweet.

Tough Losses

Well, the Michigan Basketball team had some tough losses. We ended up loosing to Illinois, then Ohio State at home, then at Penn State, we beat Northwestern at home, then we continued to loose to Ohio State and Purdue. We finally beat Penn State on the 31st, but that was it. We have had a very low shooting percentage, an average of 26%. It has been pitaful. Practices have been so so, but I cant comment more on them.

One bummer was the home game against Ohio State. Now we lost to them by a little on the road, and we really should have beat them. But this time they came home, and in celebration and commemoration, we invited the 1989 NCAA Championship team to come and we wore the ´89 year retro jerseys. It was pretty pimp...until we lost. Yes, we lost to Ohio State, and it was very very disappointing. It really was embarrassing, but never the less, the ´89 squad was very supportive and gave the players a lot of encouragement after the game. IN the locker room, one of the things that stood out for me was when Beilein asked a raise of hands of all the players hwo played in the NBA. About 8 or 9 of the 13 guys raised their hands. Then he asked how much money they had left from their NBA careers, and they all said Zero. "Did you Michigan Education pay off?" "Absolutely!" They all shouted in unison!











Now, although we have a loosing streak going, we still have a chance to make it into the NCAA tournament. We need to make at least 9 conference wins to have a chance, but it seems like this chance is getting slimmer and slimmer as the games go by. We will see what happeneds.

Man Month and Inauguration

Man month has begun and it is all out. The no shave started sharp on the 1st of January and will continue. Here at the pentadude there is plenty of eating meat, doing pushups, and just growling. It is awesome. The goal of man month? To Reject all forms of Feminization in our Manlyness.

A good way to meet up in the middle mark and size up our beards is MLK weekend (or I like to call it MiLK weekend) for the Men`s winter cabin trip. We go into the middle of some woods in the snow with UCO dudes from all over Michigan and just hang out. Of course the historical things are the massive football game, eating manly stew, playing card games and dice games, and just being men. It is sweet.

I had tons of fun playing this new game called Settlers of Catan, which little did I know would become an instant addiction to my room. It was good seeing some good guys from lansing and we ahd a lot of fun trying to get our cars out of the snow.


Then of course, the big anticipation here in Ann Arbor was the inaguration of Barak Obama. People were going nuts here and like almost everything stood still. I saw the inauguration, and I love speeches, and although it was a fairly decent one, I dont think it cracked the top 10. The thing that I noticed most was this was not a big deal because of this liberal man was becoming president and he was going to change everything. It was historical because this man who had black and white parents was the first president with black blood to take office. That was it. The whole importance was the black berrier that was deminished. I think people often overlook on his actual policies because he is black. I think it is great that he is the first black president, but people all over th enation overlooked what the man`s policies are. That was displayed 3 days after he entered office when he passed a bill to allow money to go to places over seas like planned parent hood that offer constraceptives and abrotions. See what the Vatican thinks about it.

What do you guys think about his inauguration? What about the bill? Think Man Month is pretty cool? You do, I can see it in your eyes! Tell me what you think! and I will write soon!

Comming back for round 2

Well, its time to come back to Michigan! This year is looking to be a promising year. Not as hectic as the first. I am only taking 13 hours and I think it is gonna be a good year in basketball too. We have Lavel, the transfer from Arizona elligible.

I will be applying to the second tier of the Sport Management program this semester. Although Econ killed my GPA (fell from a 3.34 to a 2.88 after both econs), I believe my strong resumé of work and past experiences will help me get in.

I am looking forward to do many things with St Mary and NCSA. It was funny,b ecause a couple of us were going to do litergy of the hours on saterday morning, the first one from my break. We descided to meet at St Mary to use a room there and because it was a central location. Well, we get there at 10am, and it takes like 10 minutes, but I figure out that I had an NSCA meeting,t he first one of the term! So I went and it took 10 hours, no joke, from 10am to 7:30. It was nuts. But we got so much important things done.


UCO is gonna be sweet. The combination of JaNEWary and Man Month is gonna be awesome! THe beard has already begun and it is only a matter of time that the girls look at me weird and the coaches offer me shavers. But what the corn, it is all good.

The one thing that sucks is that my iPhone is still bricked. it is still useless. As in, it doesnt work and it hasnt worked since January 4th. I have done everything. I even got one of them any sims and cut my sim card so that it would fit and it still doesnt work! Ahh. If anyone has any suggestions, please put them in the comment box.




I have Intermural basketball this semester and that should be cool. If you remember last year, we were on the A league instead of the B. And it was aweful. This year we are in teh B and we are more prepared. I even have my manager buddy Josh playing with us. It should be exciting.

This was a short post, but what the heck, I will post another one up soon. Take care, ya hear?

Christmas Break

Well, it was really nice to fly home. But that was a story in and of itself. It was weds night. I studyied and studied and studied and I packed, then wrote and wrote and wrote. I had a philosopy assignment that was fiven on weds that was due thursday morning as my final. That was annoying as well.

For some reason my professor was really weird, He gave us back the previous midterm just that monday. So I went to office hours 2 times, monday and tuesday, and was there for a combined 2 hours before I would have to leave without getting any help because I had basketball practice. So finally I get in weds after waiting 40 mintues. And yes, I had an appointment every time, its jsut that he is so disorganized and takes forever to do anything. So I studied weds morning, went to office hours, stayed to about half of the practice, and on my way back got a call from my football buddy. He was working on his philosopy paper with the other football player and wanted to know if I wanted to join. I was so happy that they called me and kinda lucky cause I had completely forgotten about the assignment. So I went over and worked on it from 6pm to 2am. I did some packing in between.

I will tell you what...that walk, that short walk from south quad to angell hall took so long. I was like falling over I was so tired. I felt aweful, beyond aweful. It was the morning of the 18th, 2 in the morning, and I had been up to this since the first of December, and I felt aweful. Baaaa. Its true that if you are up 24 hours that you begin to act as if you are legaly intoxicated. Well, I had not done that, but the bind and grind of 18 days was way over due on me and I could hardly walk, less much stand strait without sleeping. But it felt good to drop that last paper in the drop box in angell hall.

The next morning was terrible...yet beautiful at the same time. I felt beyond aweful. I had worked so hard for so long and still everything was going down hill and I knew with all the work I had put into everything I still would not do that good in my grades. I haddnet slept any. I had eaten pretty badly. My workouts werent that good. I had over studdied. I had consumed way too many energy drinks. And my body was sore and I had a hurt kneee. Yes, life was miserable...but I had one hope. All soon would be over, in 4 hours in fact, and then I could go home. Home sweet home. So I took a cold shower to wake up. I had a good breakfast and 2 energy drinks. I had a juiced rock star and a can of bawls. And yes, I was standing while studying that morning, just like I had been for the past few days. You see, when you are exsausted and your body is yearning and pleading for rest, your body will do anything in its power to attain that rest. Anytthing. So by sitting down, you are just asking for it. Its almost like lying down, except not. So by standing up, it makes it that much harder for your body to fall asleep. And on top of that, once you start to dose off, you will litterally fall. You dont know how many times I have caught myself halfway on a fall, but you know what? I also cause myself falling asleep. ChaChing! So yeah, I crambed some more of that good ´ol macro economics and walked to Lorche hall to take my last final with a can of Bawls in hand as my only wepon. I went in there, had my game face on, made a couple of prayers and I takled that thing...and that thing was hard.

Now, I dont understand it. I knew that the professor told us that he was making the test hard on purpose. I knew he said he wanted us to miss the questions and that he wanted us to fail. But saying something and actually doing something are two quite different things. I mean, a black sheep can think its white all it wants, but it wont do it any good. Obama can say he will change the economy for the better and then raise taxes all he wants and it wont do any good. Shaq can say he can make all those free throws when it counts and still miss them in the game and it wont help his team any more. Saying and doing are often quite different. But not for this first year Russian Calculas boring pitstained maniac macro economic professor. No, what he says, he means. And that test was freakin hard! Goodness gratious! I wish he was lying on this one! And so yeah...it was hard. But do you know what? I was done. Yes, I was done.




I walked out a defeated yet living hero, and I had just 2 hours before my bus left. So I went to a local Michigan apperal store that was about to go out of business to buy some shirts as christmas presents. And they hardly had anything. Just XXL and XXXL. And a few childrens shirts...and shirts for dogs, but nothing good. It was just in this huge pile of blaaa and fatness. But I made due. I did run into John, a dude in UCO that I had apperantly had told I would eat lunch with him that afternoon but completely forgot till I ran into him and he reminded me. I love when that happeneds. So I found some stuff at another shop, we ate, I packed the last of what I had, and then went out to the buss stop for my bus to Detroit Airport. I got on and it was the begginging of thankfully a very eventless trip back to Texas. The only annoying thing was that it cost me $40 and 2 philosophy books to send my luggage back home. But it was all good. Oh, and I did sit with the entire Michigan State Mens Basketball team from Detroit to Houston (which they ended up upsetting #5 Texas the following day). I talked some trash, told Coach Izzo to be ready for us February 10th, and talked spanish for 20 minutes strait with a dude from Mexico and crused back to Texas. My headphones where really nice. I liked them a lot and they worked perfect on the airport.

I landed in corpus and my brother christopher, my dad, and Casey and Arce were there to greet the tired yet joyful traveler back home. And after all that studying and staying up late and everything, you figured I would be strait to sleep in my own bed, right? No, I went to Arces House with Casey and my awaited PS3 that my brothers didnt know about and stayed up till 4 in the morning. But that night was a night in itself. I couldnt get the PS3 to work. So I thought I broke that. Then we broke a glass cup. THen we broke the couch. THen we broke the Xbox 360. Then the TV. It was aweful. So yeah. what a first night.

I finally was able to get the PS3 working. It was tight. I just had to adust the settings of the video. The PS3 for some reason makes you adust all types of settings. It wont work automatically, you have to find them out manually. I ended up getting a component cable so that we could see high def on the big screen tv once we got the bulb fixed. It looked sweet. We watched the "forgetting Marshals" Movie on it and it was really really cool. But the audio for some reason was not playing how we wanted. THe component cable went to the tv and the tv to the speakers, and for some reason that was not working so we just had sound come off of the tv itself, sub-par. We ended up getting a high end optical cable 3 days before I flew back and never watched anything with it, even though we tested and it sounded perfect.




Christmas day was fun. Midnight mass was alright, as this was the first year I havent played saxophone at midnight mass since 8th grade. But Christmas day was splended. I got the coolest 4 gifts too. Check this out...





1. The Dark Knight on Blue Ray
2. A Sweet Texas Style belt with a Big Belt Buckle
3. A Signed and framed Michael Jordan Jersey
4. A Rotten Black Banana Peel
...sweet isnt it? I forgot that I asked for a banana peel, but Christopher remembered and said it was a request he could not pass. Haha, they told me to open the box and feel it before looking at it, and I still did not remember about the banana, not even a few seconds afterward till it registered. Haha, it was sweet. Later we played some old school Texas backyard football in the warm weather and then later went to see the cousins out in far like hour Texas, haha. We hung out, played horseshoes, talked about how Texas footall is tied with Notre Dame and coming after Michigan, watched Christmas day NBA (Celtics-Lakers) and chilled with them eating loads of good Texas food. We love Texas here.





The next days were pretty chill. I finally finished my Max Schmeling/Joe Louis boing book...yes, it took me 4 months, ok? But I started my Jessie Owens and Adolf Hitler German Olymipcs books and finished in 1 week...thats right, 7 days. So there is hope for me.

New Years was a different animal. The 31st, Michigan was playing Wisconsin, so I invited some buds, including old school ACA buddie Mark Price, who plays ball for Wheaten University. Unfortunately, Michgian was doing pitiful and of course Arce and Casey were rooting for Wisconsin just to get me mad. The game was absolutely aweful, we had our first home loss, first loss to an unranked team, and our first conference loss all at the same time. But me and Casey and Arce hung out all night going places and having fun till 6:30 am. It was sweet, especially since I got up at 9:30 to go to church. It was a holy day of obligation for Mary, the mother of God. I said, Mary, I am glad you are really my mother; otherwize I would not have come.


The Second of January, a Friday, was my mom`s birthday. We went to B&Js. I hung out with Edy that day and I tried out one of his body building workouts and then we went to eat. We got a pizza full of meat. Well, I stay the night with ed, and we have a good time. I get up in the morning and he was pucking pepper like nuts since 8am. He got sick hard the next day too and accused my mom of trying to kill him (my mom has yet to make any statement upon the issue).





Then Sunday came. That evil Sunday. Not only do I have 2 days left, but trying to update my iPhone from firsmware 2.1 to 2.2, and rushing it in the process to go to church with my Dad, I completely bricked my phone. Bricked it hard core. Worse than last time. Much worse. This time, and I guess it is the new iTunes 8.0.8, it wont recognize the iphone unless it is activated, so there is no way to restore the phone. But when I go to restore mode and do it manually, I get error code 21. Stupid! I spent hours on it, 2 by my self in the after noon and like 4 with Edy that night. But it still didnt work. I worked and worked and no good. So now I am using a crappy phone that carlos butchered and have to go to Michigan like that. Haha, but thats how it happened. In an attempt to fix it with downgrading to a old iTunes, I killed my iTunes. Baaa...but that happens, right?

Another big news! I got a job! My summer job is lined up! How many other college sophmores already have a summer job? Anyhow, I worked with the Corpus Christi Hooks last year doing on field entertainment and promotions. You can see some past posts in may and june 08 posts about it. Well, the General Manager, Michael Wood wanted me to come back. I called him Monday, he told me come over, I got to see him and some new friends, met the new guy in charge of tickets and sales, and Michael Wood, was pretty much like, "Spenser, this is Daniel. He worked with us last summer and did an amazing job for us. You should hire him." Pretty much saying, dude, I am the GM; hire him. It was that easy. I got it. So I will be in Texas this summer once again, probobly for the last time, and I will be doing sales, predominately tickets, for the Corpus Christi Hooks. How bout that!

Besides that I played some basketball with some friends from high school and then flew up to Michigan on the 6th of January, a tuesday. I ran into some mexican soccer team that was going to LA to play a professional team and I talked to them a bit in spanish, but nothing much eventful. Got to Ann Arbor nice and ready (and rested from all that sleeping on the plane) and even went to UCO and had a blast in the after party. I am ready for this semester! Bring it on!