del boca vista

Happy Valentine's Day (from my Shaekspeare Blog)

2011-02-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Valentine's Day while studying Shakespeare can be awesome!! There is plenty of material to fit the mood of anybody on Valentine's Day. There is extremely ushy gushy romantic, depressing, suicidal, and lonely material to draw from. Probably the most used of Shakespeare's works on February 14 would be Sonnet 116. However I prefer Sonnet 130.

Sonnet 130 is somewhat humorous, but when taken seriously, I believe it to be the most romantic and sweet.

The way Shakespeare sets up this poem, structurally, is very appealing to the reader and is easy to follow and understand. Shakespeare begins with the eyes, then goes to the lips, body, even breath of his mistress comparing his mistress with what some would consider ideal physical attributes. He compares the physcial attributes to natural beauty found in nature, such as snow, coral, roses. He makes similes, metaphors and images such as eyes like the sun, coral red lips, rosy cheeks. After pointing out that his mistress doesn't have any of these ideal physical attributes, he confesses that he has a rare love for her in the final couplet.

Sonnet 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grown on her head.
I have seen roses demasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound.
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

kills me

2011-02-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

JIMMER TIME

2011-01-12T12:08:00.001-08:00

Kanye West... bbwwwhaha

2011-01-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

OH YEAH

2011-01-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

Like I've said I got the blogging bug again.

shakespeare2011.blogspot.com

longrangesports.blogspot.com

check 'em out

2011-01-08T17:43:00.001-08:00

I know I know... but I've caught the bug again.

Just like Oprah, I have my favorite things, and one is my new:

I got it for Christmas from my mom, in hopes of preventing this from happening again

So now with my OtterBox, I should be safe

2010-08-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

best iPhone app. click to download.

2010-08-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

well this is interesting. i wonder how they feel about it.

2010-08-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

yeah, that's debatable.

2010-08-04T18:31:00.001-07:00

a few sites i think are worth the time:

thatsnotcool.com

500daysofweezy.com

protectmarriage.com

Dont' Text & Drive

2010-08-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Please don't be stupid. It's just not worth it.

2010-08-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday President Obama.
photos from OBAMA MESSIAH

lets be smart for a bit.

2010-07-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

The last words of George Washington:

"...the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another...It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another."

"Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice?"

"...cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace...avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt....it is essential that you...bear in mind, that towards the payments of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not...inconvenient and unpleasant..."

"It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world..."

"...avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty."

looks like we've done nothing that he would have wanted. I find hope in the wise words of Michelle MacKay (Kathryn Erbe) who said in D2: The Mighty Ducks, "that compared to other countries, America is still young, still forming its own identity. America is a teenager just like you... A little awkward at times, but always right there on the verge of greatness."

So maybe we'll grow out of it. Mature a little bit, realize that our parents were actually right.

2010-07-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

RESPECT

2010-07-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

"...there's going to be times when we lose 2-3 games in a row, and it seems like the world has crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade is coming down again, but it's not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games."
-Dwyane Wade

Does D-Wade really think that loosing a few ball games is going to be even a fraction as tragic as 9/11? Does he really think people will actually react to the Miami Heat loosing 2-3 games in a row as if terrorists have killed over 2,500 American citizens? I knew Lebron's ego was way out of whack, but I never knew Dwyane Wade was worse. Pinhead, not patriot. Those people that died, and their families and loved ones, deserve more than this, Wade, much more.

Old Spice | Boat

2010-07-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

2010-07-13T21:02:00.001-07:00

2010-07-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Bill Withers shares my pain

2010-07-02T01:15:00.000-07:00

as long as dirk is back in dallas i dont care what happens with the free agents

metal

2010-07-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

2010-07-02T00:35:00.001-07:00

woah, i can't stop watching metal music videos. viewer beware.

my thursday = your friday; my life = your entertainment

2010-07-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

this is how BP should stop the gushing oil from ruining the gulf de mexico. its that simple.

2010-06-19T22:57:00.001-07:00

nobody tells frank costanza what to do

2010-06-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

today i went to check some blogs but in my bookmarks menu i accidentally clicked on blackboard. it made me throw up a little bit.

2010-05-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

if i was a seven foot, two hundred seventy pound black man i would dominate. no way would anyone come near the basket, and i would throw down hard every time i got the ball. dwight howard needs to get angry. he plays like a coward. dwight coward.

2010-05-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

2010-05-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

i just want everyone to understand the awesomeness of my life. the following is my schedule:

whenever: wake up
whenever: eat
whenever: workout
whenever: watch 3 hours of sportscenter
whenever: eat some more
whenever: chill pool side for 5 hours
whenever: eat again
whenever: chill fat when everyone comes home from work/school
whenever: do what i want

this is way beyond the summer of george

2010-05-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

they said i couldn't play football..i was too small
they said i couldn't play basketball..i wasn't tall
they said i couldn't play baseball at all...
and now every day of my life I BALL
- weezy f baby

jazz

2010-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

went to the jazz game 3 last night. i'm used to heartbreaks so it wasn't too horrible, but still. the entire game was awesome, everyone was going crazy and the energy in the stadium was out of control. jazz played a good game, just couldn't come through at the end.

2010-05-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

today i went to the temple, and it was awesome! these are some pictures i took about a week ago.

2010-05-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

my candle broke tonight, but i fixed it. my lighter is almost out of gas, but not quite. red hot chili peppers fuel the night.

2010-04-28T17:28:00.001-07:00

c'mon MAVERICKS

2010-04-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

someone stole my phone. i'm pissed. beware chubby little kid, or stupid football guy with the annoying laugh, or really super kinda gross skinny kid. i know it was one of you. run. and. hide.

iPhone

2010-04-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

my newest addicting game on my iPhone: Hippo Blaster. its free, and was created by a BYU student. and I dominate it everyday. in other gaming news, i have regained the top score on bubble spinner, which was formerly held by david.

diet coke

2010-04-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

I believe that there are different levels of Diet Coke, and there are a number of factors that go into determining how amazing a Diet Coke is. 1. What is your need for a DC? Sometimes you have one just because, but other times it is satisfying your deepest desires, while other times you are just fueling your addiction. Sometimes you drink a DC to get you through the day, other times just because you are thirsty. Sometimes the food you are eating requires a DC, like BBQ or Mexican food. Right now I'm drinking one because I just want to. 2. Is it from a can, plastic bottle, or fountain? My preference is Fountain, then can, then plastic bottle. My DC is from a Fountain. 3. If it is from a fountain, where did you get it? Sonic is known for their delicious drinks, however some places seem to dilute their fountain drinks. This is unacceptable, and I can always tell when a DC has been tampered with. If you're drinking a canned or bottled DC, how cold is it? is it freshly opened or has it been opened for sometime? Has it been in a glass with melting ice, which is another way DC's can be diluted. My Diet Coke is from Pita Pitt, and it is delicious. 4. What kind of ice, if any is cooling your tasty beverage? Obviously the little cubed ice is best, like Sonic's. Crushed ice is the worst, because it melts so fast. My ice is the traditional sliced ice common at most restaurants. 5. What is the end result of the Diet Coke. There is really only one answer for this, which is "I feel better than I did before!" But how much better do you feel? As I am coming to the end of my beloved Diet Coke, I can already feel the results: my day has been made, the sun seems brighter, life seems sweeter, and I am complete. While there is no such thing as a "bad" Diet Coke, there are different levels, the lowest starting at Awesome and from there, the sky is the limit as to how great a DC can be!!!

norman

2010-04-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

accounting 200, my last final. it is killing me. it is sunny and 70 F outside, and i am inside listening to norm talk about managerial accounting. my revenge will not be quick, and acc 200 will not enjoy it. be ready norm, be ready.

2010-04-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

oh, and i guess its "uncool" to have the name of my blog be my actual name. so im taking suggestions for a "cool" name for my blog. so far all i can think of is poopface. so please help.

chuck palahniuk

2010-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

i just finished reading two of chuck palahniuk's novels: invisible monsters and fight club. most are familiar with fight club due to the movie, but its a great read. actually both were awesome. chuck definitely has a very negative and dark outlook on society. in both novels he explores how trapped humanity is due to the unnecessary demands put on us by society. and in both novels the protagonist breaks free from the stupidity of life through some very dramatic changes. he also throws around the idea of power, and how we can resist it, and how it can be gained through unconventional ways. chuck's voice is very evident, which made it fun to read them back to back. so if you're looking for a summer read, pick them up.

2010-04-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

"mass publication included less and less serious literature"
this was a quote i studied in my british authors class. it was referring to the 18th century, but it holds true today. and i am part of it.

2010-04-12T02:47:00.000-07:00

goodbye texas stadium

duke

2010-04-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

if duke wins tonight i am going to kill david thomas mason! i refuse to allow him to win our bracket pool. partially because he flipped a coin to decide the winner of every game, and mostly just because i despise him.

bomb

2010-04-02T23:23:00.001-07:00

look at all these tanks and stuff in Iraq. Where is it all going to go now that the US is leaving? Afghanistan? That's a TON of tanks and stuff.

lil' wayne

2010-04-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

weezy f baby. most legit rapper rockin my iPod right now.
fool's in jail and still rocking the beats.
"yo, keep your head up, weezy"

baylor bears

2010-03-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

LETS GO BAYLOR! They are the key to my bracket success, because in my pool, no one has them advancing past the Sweet Sixteen (except David, and his bracket is just straight stupid), and I have the Bears going to the Final Four! I really need them to make up for Syracuse's lost last night, and Kansas' humiliation last week. I have Kentucky winning it all, and they are looking strong, but West Virgina is going to be a tough team to beat as they also have been on a roll.

brooksley born

2010-03-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I went to F Stop Cafe in Provo to discover my new musical obsession! Brooksley Born played their debut concert and first album release! I bought the cd, and have been listening to it non-stop. They have only been together for 4 months working hard to get the cd done. They were great live performers, letting their personalities come through on stage. It was fun to watch them, and personally, I think their music is better live! If you hurry to their website you can download their cd for free!! But you better hurry!! And if you happen to stop by F Stop Cafe, buy an Italian Soda, they are really good.

michael loyd jr.

2010-03-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

Michael Loyd Jr. is the man. 'nuff said. He dominated Florida today, giving the Cougs a huge boost. It was an amazing game, a true thriller. I watched it in the Student Athlete Building and the energy there was great.

Now we face Kansas St. tomorrow which will be a hard game. My bracket as of now is struggling a bit, but I'm hoping for a strong day tomorrow. In my pool, I'm tied for last with David, who flipped a coin for every single match -up. But tomorrow I'm planning on making my move into the heat of the battle with Brent and Christian. I have huge plans for Baylor, and have Kentucky winning it all against Kansas in the championship.

ben harper and relentless 7

2010-03-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

i found a bunch of new videos on hulu from ben harper and relentless 7.

sonnet

2010-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of my professors has started a blog, Open Source Sonnets, in which he is going to attempt to write a sonnet every day, or at least post an old classic sonnet. When I took his class a few semesters ago I had to analyze two of his sonnets, and was very impressed by both, especially because he wrote them on his bus ride into work. As he explains in the introduction to his blog, he once wrote a sonnet everyday for almost four years, almost 1,200 sonnets. He invites all that visit his blog to post comments, and says "Whatever poem posted here is free/for you to imitate, adapt, or take;/ whatever line or stanza you may see/ is open, let it leaven what you bake./ Improve, revise, or parody at will;/remix, repost, be playful with your skill!"

In his first posted sonnet he talks about the fear that many writers, myself included, have towards sonnets; which is conforming to the form, or "rules" of sonnets. Recently in my Creative Writing class we had a discussion about how rules are meant to be broken, and if broken with purpose and intent, can lead to beautiful results. One popular example of this is the poemThe Aeronaut to His Lady by Frank Sidgwick.

I
Through
Blue
Sky
Fly
To
You.
Why?
Sweet
Love,
Feet
Move
So
Slow.

While this does follow the rhyme scheme and other such "rules" of sonnets, it is not written in iambic pentameter. I don't intend to teach an English lesson here, but this can easily be argued to be a sonnet, and I find it pretty cool. Needless to say I am hoping to find some inspirational sonnets from his blog. You should check it out!

CONFERENCE '10

2010-03-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

What an amazing week. First, thanks to all the fans and family that have supported us all season long. Thanks to everyone that came for cheering hard and pumping us up this week! Congrats to the women's team for winning Conference yet again. They gave a hard fight and deserved the win.

The men's team finished off the regular MWC dual-meet season 0-5. It was a rough season littered with injuries to some of our key swimmers. However the team really came together and swam as a team of one this year and we managed to finish 3rd at MWC Championship. This was one of the greatest meets I have every been a part of, and am so proud of the men's team. We really had to fight for every point, and I know that we scared a few teams and surprised EVERYONE! What an awesome way to end a hard season.

Well, now that swimming is over (at least for a few weeks) I am looking forward to sleeping in, staying up late, and most of all DIET COKES!!! Most of the guys on the team and myself gave up sodas on Saturday September 12, 2009. Thats about 6 months without any soda! It was hard, but well worth it, and now I appreciate diet cokes more than ever.

MWC CHAMPIONSHIP

2010-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

The Mountain West Conference Swimming and Diving Championships begin this Wednesday at 6:00 in Oklahoma City. After a long season I am ready to rock n' roll, and get revenge on some teams (and people). I am looking forward to some fast swims from everyone, but I think this will be a great meet for our freshmen to really step up and prove themselves. Everyone is pumped up and ready to go. We leave tomorrow morning and will be returning to Provo Sunday night. I will keep updates on how everyone swims throughout the week on my twitter account: johnck22. Wish us luck as we go into the final meet of the season!!! GO COUGS!!!!

mavs

2010-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

I am super excited about the mavs new acquisitions! I figured they would lose to the hot OK Thunder, but now I am worried about their next game against the Suns. Hopefully the home crowd will help out, but it might be some time before the team regains momentum and is adjusted to the new guys. Now I really want T-Mac to go to NYC before thursday, which would allow for two big-shot free agents to go to the Knicks (like Lebron and David Lee or Dwayne Wade, or even better, Lebron and Chris Bosh).

Ahhh Universtiy Police

2010-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

I had another, more fun, encounter with the BYU Campus Police last night. A few of us (the others will remain unnamed) went out and about on Valentine's Eve water ballooning. We were looking especially for couples and had some great luck. Our first trip out was good, but we really struggled with our aiming. We reloaded and went out again for another go-round. As we took our second trip to the dorms we saw a group of guys playing basketball. I backed my truck into the parking lot to make for a quick escape, and we unloaded a few balloons at the guys. We then flew out of the dorms parking lot and were being followed by a Dodge Caravan. I sped away, cut through a Chevron parking lot and then made a quick right trying to lose the van. Then I saw the lights, yep the van was actually an unmarked BYU Campus Police car. I pulled over and then two more campus police squad cars came for backup. Once we all realized that it was only campus police, and not the ever so hard provo police, we all felt at ease. I now have a date with the Provo City Justice Court for March 29th. The officers were actually pretty cool and I'm hoping to make it into the "Police Beat" of the Daily Universe. All and all another action packed evening on the streets of Provo~~

HALO

2010-02-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

On Friday night the girls team had a "Celeb Party" and so the Men's Team had a HALO Party. We had three tv's (kinda hard to see in the photo, but there are three!) and a bunch of fun. Unfortunately for the girls some jerks decided to throw water balloons at them. What a shame!

Stitches

2010-02-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well on Thursday night we swam the U of U. I probably shouldn't say anything else, but that I totally agree with what Max Hall said, and the U proved it on Thursday. I got 5 stitches in my right hand because I took my frustration out on a soap dispenser in the showers. If you're dying for deets (Zach), give me a call or message me and I'll fill you in.

Nuggs Game

2010-02-07T02:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight was an eventful night in wonderful Utah. Luckily I had an excuse to get out of Provo and go to the big city, SLC! To celebrate Michelle's birthday, we all went to the Jazz-Nuggets game. Now, don't get me wrong, I hate the nuggets, but I also despise the Jazz. It was a tough call as to who I was going to root for. However, in the end I decided to go in favor of the birthday girl's team, and cheer for the nuggets (however I still wore my Mavericks shirt to the game!). Jazz fans are about as classless as UofU fans. We sat behind a family of two parents, 3 young children and an infant. As we all took our seats the mom turned to us and yelled "Denver Sucks". Then throughout the entire game she proceeded to yell, accompanied by her eldest son of probably 10 years. They seriously reminded me of an exorcism movie, completely possessed and yelling bloody murder. She was actually more entertaining than the game, as denver was about 10 points behind the entire game. Still tons of fun. Tomorrow, while wearing my Cowboys shirt, I'll be cheering for the Colts because Austin Collie is my homeboy.

Campus Police

2010-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today I had a run-in with the BYU Campus Police. It was a most enjoyable experience as always. My offense: crossing the street when the cross walk flashed the stop hand signal. I know, its an absolutely heinous crime and I should have been punished severely. Luckily I was with a dumb ass friend who tried to run and then completely mocked the officer to his face. The officer let me go so he could deal with my friend. Just a side note, my friend got away with a written warning. That's right, he actually got a written warning for crossing the street. And university police wonder why nobody respects them. It was such a fun experience that I am going to try and find another opportunity to provide something for university police to do. Maybe next time I'll ride my bike on the sidewalk or do something even crazier, like throw a snowball at someone. I should be locked up for just thinking about it!

Dallas Heartache

2009-10-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

ESPN DALLAS= Each Season's Playoffs are Not in Dallas.

The life of a Dallas sports fan is one full of heartbreak, disappointment, frustration and anger. It seems to me like I have had the worst luck in picking my teams that I am loyal to through the good and the bad. The Dallas Mavericks have had such hardships and trials getting so close to winning the Championship only to be defeated by bogus calls against us in the Miami Heat series a few years ago and then last year with the Denver Thuggets. While I don't blame the entirety of our losses on bad calls, it did play a huge part in our defeats.

However currently with the Dallas Cowboys, I am so frustrated that I can hardly watch the games, but that would place me in the category of a "fair-weather fan", and I am anything but, so I sit and gut out the games with a grimace of pain and anguish on my face. Even our victories are short lived because of the horrid game play that landed us just lucky enough to win. On paper we have one of the best teams in the NFL, lead by the 3rd best quarterback, Tony Romo has a wonderful supporting cast that winning the division title should be no difficult task, yet somehow the boys just like to piss it all away and keep driving me mad!!! We just can't get it together!!! We'll the season isn't even half way through, so there is still hope that we can start living up to our potential. I just want for once to be able to enjoy cheering for my teams, and not wondering how we are going to screw up no matter how great our lead may be.

It is a hard life, but one worth living, for one day there will be a great reward for my dedication and support... until then I will continue to believe in my superstitions, drinking from my Dallas Cowboys mug and wearing my old, ripped Mavericks shirt for the games and hope that my diligence will somehow help my teams to the victory.

Speaking of heartbreaks and frustrating sports teams... Good luck BYU against TCU this weekend!!! ESPN College Game Day will be in Provo and its our homecoming game. With this amount of attention on us, we will most likely blow it, and all the while I will be wearing my BYU Blue like an ignorant fool.

Hello Yogurt

2009-10-11T15:50:00.001-07:00

Goodbye Red Mango and HELLO YOGURT!!! I have found a new favorite frozen yogurt place. Hello Yogurt offers everything you could possibly want from a yogurt shop and then more! If you are in the mood for a healthy, light, and fruity snack, Hello Yogurt has the answer with delicious fresh fruit toppings such as banana · blackberries · blueberries · kiwi · mango · pineapples · raspberries · strawberries · watermelon and they have light, low-fat and sugar free flavors like green tea · mango · raspberry · strawberry and more! If you are in the mood for some chocolate they offer toppings like brownie · chocolate chips · chocolate sprinkles · diced almonds · diced peanuts · graham cracker crumbs · gummy bears · mini m&ms · mini reese's pieces · nonfat granola · oreo cookies · rainbow sprinkles · shredded coconut · white chocolate chips · and many more, with wonderful yogurts like original tart · butter brickle · chocolate · cookies & cream · and new york cheese cake. However the best topping they have are MOCHI (I'm not sure about the spelling, but they are amazing). Another reason why I love Hello Yogurt is that the sizes of the toppings are GIGANTIC!!!! They basically have fun-size candy bars and half strawberries, non of the little cubes of toppings like at other yogurt places (like Yo-Zone). The best part is that Hello Yogurt isn't a chain, it is local to Orem, UT, and I always like supporting the local underdogs over the mainstream corporate stuff. So, check it out because it is DELICIOUS!!!!

Poe

2009-10-07T14:25:00.001-07:00

So, thanks to my wonderful Transatlantic Literary History (or as I call it, my Tranny class), I have become quite familiar with the wonderful work of Edgar Allan Poe. While today his work is not viewed as scary, imagine reading it in the 19th century. I am sure that his writings were absolutely disturbing to his readers. But I have enjoyed my study of him and his works. A few of my favorites have been The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Fall of the House of Usher. And while his stories haven't exactly kept me up scared at nigh, they are creepy.

Reading all these creepy tales has gotten me in the mood to watch a scary movie. A few that I have my eye on are The Stepfather and Paranormal Activity. However with scary movies it is also a huge gamble, they can either be extremely satisfying and scare the POO out of me, or they can be so horrible that they are almost funny. I definitely am not going to see Saw VI. Seriously, a sixth movie, come on Liongate, enough is enough.

My Response

2009-10-01T10:51:00.001-07:00

This is my response to the article published in the Daily Universe (see my post "WOW" below for the article).

To the Editor

If I am reading Matt Payne’s article, More honesty about true student, athlete treatment correctly the main issue that Matt Payne has is not “with the fact that athletes get preferential treatment…but rather with the way some schools pretend that this preferential treatment doesn’t happen”. Well I guess my only rebuttal to this is Who is pretending? I am pretty sure most students, student-athletes, administrators and professors are aware that there are certain privileges that student-athletes are awarded that are not offered to the rest of the student body, and why not? After all, the student-athletes deserve everything they get.

Maybe I have to see the commercial to understand how South Carolina was pretending to treat normal students the same way they treat student-athletes, but based on Matt Payne’s description of the commercial, they weren’t pretending anything. They were simply showing a young high school athlete choosing to participate in athletics at South Carolina, while also choosing to study in one of the top international business schools in the nation. But I guess I’ll have to take Mr. Payne’s word for it as he apparently knows quite a lot about how things are run at the University of South Carolina.

What Mr. Payne failed to mention is that student-athletes are not the only people on campus receiving finical aid. Scholarships are awarded to many students based on them just being them, for example their ethnicity, religion, heritage, and other such traits. Sometimes receiving these scholarships requires some work, like filling out an application, or finding the best scholarship that works for the student’s specific needs. There are also academic scholarships available to those that qualify just as there are athletic scholarships for those that qualify. For these kinds of scholarships, one must work hard all through high school and perhaps even earlier than that, developing talents, habits and abilities to obtain such preferential treatment.

While student athletes are given great facilities to not only train in, but also to study in, the rest of the student body is not left to study by candle light in the basements. BYU has one of the best campuses for students in the nation. The BYU business program is one of the best in the nation, and is housed in one of the better buildings on campus. The business program is ranked in the top 10 programs in the nation, and our football team is struggling to stay in the top 20 right now. But, the business program is never going to sell out La Vell Edwards Stadium for an Investors Club Meeting.

I offer a challenge to Matt Payne:

For one month, actually, just try one week, wake up at 5:45 am on Monday, and go work out for two hours. Now, this is not just a light jog and some yoga, I challenge you to work out at the level of a NCAA Division I athlete for 2 hours, then spend 3 hours in class, awake and taking notes. After your classes, work out for another two hours at the same intensity as the morning. When afternoon practice gets out at 5:00 pm, ice, shower and then go study for another few hours. Then do this for four more days, Tuesday through Friday. Finally, spend your weekend hosting high school recruits, or away at a competition. Do that for one week and tell me that student-athletes don’t deserve a pair of sweat pants. I bet if this was your schedule you wouldn’t have had time to watch the South Carolina game on Thursday. Even student-athletes that are on a full tuition scholarship, book scholarship and receive a rent and food allowance could make a lot more money working at Subway in the Cougareat. And believe me, there are not as many student-athletes receiving that amount of scholarship, as you may like to think.

The few instances in which student-athletes have broken rules are known publicly because student-athletes are looked upon in the public eye, and in all those instances fair treatment was given. Reggie Bush is under investigation, and Jim McMahon was kicked out of school. Don’t tell me normal students have never cheated in high school to get better grades to increase their collegiate opportunities.

Another reason as to why student-athletes deserve some sweats and shoes is because, whether you like it or not, student-athletes are representing the university on a much larger scale than any other student. While students are receiving national attention in many academic fields, it is athletics that draws the most attention, and that is just how it is. You will never see national coverage for a normal student deciding what school to go to. Why? Because, quite frankly, no body cares. That doesn’t mean that normal students aren’t important, or that they don’t deserve recognition for the hard work that they do, but that is just the way it is. At the end of the day, life is just not fair, Matt. Some people are going to get bigger, better, nicer things than you, and you know what, they might not deserve any of it. But that is just the way life is.

WOW

2009-10-01T09:37:00.001-07:00

This was published in the Daily Universe yesterday.... my letter to the editor soon to come!!!!

MORE HONESTY ABOUT TRUE STUDENT, ATHLETE TREATMENT

I was watching a college football game between South Carolina and Mississippi on ESPN last Thursday when a commercial caught my particular attention.

It was one advertising the University of South Carolina. The commercial centered around a young man, apparently a high-school senior, who was set to make his college choice known through a nationally-televised news conference — the same kind of absurd grasps for attention that are becoming popular for every semi-talented high school athlete.

Fans from several schools — the generic “State,” “U” and “Tech” were of course represented — watched with anticipation, with one student covering her face like she couldn’t take the intensity of the announcement.

The moment of truth finally came, and the young man jubilantly announced he would attend South Carolina to study ... (wait for it) ... international business! He even had a briefcase with the Gamecocks’ logo on it, and the television commentator made a smart comment like, “It’s really no surprise he chose South Carolina, they’ve got the top program in the country.”

I almost threw the remote at the television for the transparency of it. Besides the fact that the commercial was ridiculous, I was disgusted at South Carolina for intimating that they actually treat normal students the same way they treat student-athletes.They don’t.
No school does.

I understand that schools are anxious for prospective students to know about more than athletics, and every school across the country clearly has more to offer than football and basketball. But that doesn’t mean that they should put up the facade of having the business program and football team on equal ground.

The next time I see national media coverage of a non-student-athlete making his or her college choice will be the first.

I don’t take issue with the fact that athletes get preferential treatment — that has happened as long as there has been such a thing as a “student-athlete” — but rather with the way some schools pretend that this preferential treatment doesn’t happen.

BYU athletes are no different when it comes to receiving added benefits. Besides scholarships, they get a monthly stipend for rent and food, free clothes (especially shoes and sweatpants), and all the free and convenient academic counseling their hearts desire. I might be more incensed by this except that I don’t generally prefer to wear my pajamas to class every day. The food and rent thing, though, I think I could live with.

And even these perks aren’t enough for some athletes.
Reggie Bush, who won the Heisman Trophy and now plays for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, and his family are currently under investigation for accepting financial benefits worth more than $100,000 from marketing agents while Bush was playing at the University of Southern California.

And, more recently, it came to light that former University of Memphis basketball player Derrick Rose had another person take his SAT exam in high school, which he used to qualify for college. He spent one year playing for Memphis and is now a star in the NBA.

Both are making lots of money, and both made lots of money for their schools, neither of which has been particularly apologetic about the scandals.

Even BYU has struggled with student-athletes in the past. Jim McMahon supposedly thumbed his nose at the Honor Code during his time at BYU, yet was suspended and subsequently expelled only after the football season ended his senior year. If McMahon wasn’t brilliant on the field, would he have lasted as long as he did? Probably not.

While most student-athletes and their colleges live by the rules and act as positive representatives of their schools, many flaunt their temporary celebrity into getting the most out of the least possible academic effort.

Though clearly inappropriate, this type of behavior sends mixed signals to high school athletes who may expect this to be the norm in college, and schools like South Carolina that promote an athlete-style life to each and every student should be wary of the real message they are sending.

WOW.

YEAR OF THE COUGAR

2009-09-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

I am super pumped about COUGAR FOOTBALL!!! I can't believe we haven't blown it yet!!! I am looking forward to watching the BYU v. FSU game on the 50 yard line, second row!! It seems almost too good to be true, but the Cougs are at it again. While we have only won 2 games, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, as last season started out as a "Quest for Perfection" and ended up in a "Quest of Embarrassment". However this year feels different for so many reasons. As far as the BYU swim team goes.. we are also off to a great start. The camp out was a lot of fun and we are really coming together as a team. This truly is the YEAR OF THE COUGAR!!!!

ABDC

2009-08-24T18:20:00.001-07:00

I need to vent for a bit, so bear with me. ABDC has long been a Sunday night tradition of mine. With the beginning of Season 4, I was immediately drawn to two groups: Massive Monkees and Rhythm City. I guess my real beef isn’t with ABDC, yet with the thousands of ridiculous teens that flood the show, and votes. Really, does every performance deserve a standing ovation? I understand that the performers feed off of the energy from the crowd, but it is something that the performers must gain. What is really ticking me off is that all these thousands of young ladies think its fun to watch a bunch of grown gay men frolic around the stage. Vogue Evolution is a group of gay men, and one transgender woman. Nothing against gays, but seriously they can’t dance at all, they just flaunt their homosexuality all over the stage, and IT IS GROSS!!! The other straight dancers don’t flaunt their sexuality, they just dance, and they do it well. Another beef is that somehow Afro Borike has made it to the fourth episode!! They are worse than the gays, and they aren’t even American (again, nothing against foreigners, but it is American’s best dance crew)

It has not been my intention at all to offend anyone by this post; it just frustrates me that the dance crews are not being judged based on their dancing ability. If so, Southern Movement wouldn’t have been voted off, and Rhythm City wouldn’t even had been in the bottom two. Even the official judges (Shane Sparks, Lil’ Mama and JC Chasez) said that both Southern Movement and Rhythm City had the best performances of the episode (Sunday 8/23), but because they were both voted by the audience (aka mindless teens) into the bottom two from the previous episode, one of the groups had to be chosen by the official judges to go, and they chose Southern Movement.

John Stewart, when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

Excited about Leopard, not excited about the semester starting in a week.

Pardon the Rant

2009-08-18T20:17:00.001-07:00

I finally can stop pretending to enjoy regular season baseball! Pre-season football is like a breath of fresh air, but it’s only a teaser. Soon to come are the Saturdays wasted on my couch watching college football, followed by Sundays watching the NFL, and then a legit excuse to skip FHE to watch Monday Night Football. SO CLOSE, I can taste it!! However in regular season baseball’s defense, I am very pumped about the Rangers getting Pudge Rodriguez and leading the AL Wildcard (entering Tuesday).

What in the hell is a world-class athlete going to rape a girl for? McNulty’s case accusing Ben Roethlisberger of rape is beginning to seem even more McNutty as facts continue to unfurl. Long gone are the days when people had honor and put their honor in their word. Here are the days when false accusations are spit for the sole purpose of finical gain and fame, even at the expense of one’s honor and trustworthiness. Growing up I was taught that trust with someone is like a having a bank account. When you lie, it’s like you have no money in the bank, and horrible credit, and no one can believe you. However, when trust is built it is like having money in the bank, with a great interest rate. How can people that make such hideous lies look at themselves in the mirror? There is a movie coming out called The Invention of Lying which, as much as a Romantic Comedy can, entertains the idea of a society in which everyone speaks the truth, and there is no reason to not believe what people say.

The NBC Store is selling Obama merchandise. My favorite item was the shirt with Mr. Obama’s portrait and the words “Yes We Did” written below. My question: Did what? A lot has been put in motion from the Obama administration, but seriously after about an 1/8^th of a term what has actually been “did”? Awesome how, according to Gallup, in 47 of the 50 states conservatives outnumber liberals, yet due to the media’s liberal voice, all we get, with some exceptions, is left-wing opinion.

iBroke

2009-05-30T22:24:00.001-07:00

Well I've been spending my time working and saving, working and saving. And thanks to my obsession with Apple products I'm now low on the dough. After purchasing my MacBook, and a case, and some accesories for my iPhone I really wonder is it all worth it? I feel like I'm selling out to the main-stream tech gadgets. But just as quickly as this thought pops into my head, I log on to my MacBook, or "Swipe to Unlock" my iPhone and realize that it really is worth it. So here is my official endorsment of all Apple products. The customer really is number 1, with great tech support via phone, internet or at the genius bar. Yes they may be a little more expensive, but it is well worth the extra bones.

23 vs. 24

2009-05-26T19:29:00.001-07:00

I might as well join in on the great debate, better this than anything about Obama, right now I have not words to describe feelings within my soul. Anywho. 2 3 has my vote, better team player, playing much better in these playoffs, and doesn't whine after ever call as Kobe has been doing recently. Plus Kobe ain't got no defense.

FAIL

2009-05-26T19:27:00.001-07:00

As the author of this blog I have FAILED, I apologize. I will do better.

Left Lane

2009-05-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Today as I drove into work I was reminded about a past frustration I felt last week. As I drove from UT to TX I discovered that I know a very well kept secret. I've decided to share this secret with others, are you ready? Here it is

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR FAST DRIVING!!!

Please pass this on to everyone you know as it is very important for my sanity that everyone understands that when driving in the left lane one must drive fast, at least 10 mph over the speed limit. Here is another little tidbit. If you are in the left lane, no matter how fast or slow you are going, and someone comes up behind you at a faster velocity, you are to change lanes and allow the faster car to remain in the left lane and pass you. Once the faster car has passed you, you may return to the left lane as long as you are going at least10 mph over the speed limit.

I'm trying to exploit this well kept secret... so tell everyone, especially if you live in Utah.

Desperation

2009-05-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks for everyone who encouraged me to start a blog (actually, thank you Zach).

I finished my saturday night on a high after the Boston-Chicago game. It was perfect, a great game, and my team brought home the win. Actually, not really "my" team. I just jumped on the bandwagon last year, but in my defense I started cheering for the Celtics at the beginning of last year's playoffs. Anyway, it was a great game.

I was expecting a similar experience this morning when I woke up. It was actually cool today in Dallas, and I thought to myself as I got ready for church this morning, "Today is going to be great, the Mavs are going to win".

And thats the way it went, until about the 10:03 mark of the second quarter when Dirk Nowitzki checked back into the game and was picked up up by Chris "Birdman" Anderson. This drug abusing, tattooed punk-a$ ruined my sunday. As soon as he began to defend Dirk, the game feel apart. The "Birdman" flew into Dirk's head and picked his brain apart, then Kidd started to falter. Turnover after turnover and I'm glad the Mavs ONLY lost by 14. They fell apart. I was heartbroken.
I was so distraught after the game that I had to turn on the Rangers game just to see one of my teams win.
Dirk started off so strong, but I should have known better. He is too inconsistent. If he always played like he did the first quarter, we would have blown the Nuggs away.
To make my Sunday worse, I had made a bet with my Denver rooted girlfriend that the Mavs would win the series. Now if Dirk doesn't get his head on straight I will be forced to pay up, and get crap from Michelle, as if she doesn't give me enough already! Next Sunday my prayers will be dedicated to the Mavericks, because they need them more than I do.