History In The Making

Has anyone of my readers or fellow bloggers ever been a part of history?  Anyone ever broken an individual or team record of sorts?  What about scoring an all time low on making your career high on an exam?  For those who have, I’m sure you can agree that the feeling is pretty sweet.  You feel a sense of accomplishment and your confidence and “swagger” rises dramatically.  It really is one good feeling

Well, luckily enough for me I was a part of a historical Queens golf round last weekend down in West Palm Beach for The University of Nova Southeastern’s invitational.  We played a course by the name of PGA national, home of the annual PGA tour event, the Honda Classic.  For college golf, each team selects 5 men to travel and each round, usually 3, take the top 4 scores.  A typical day for a college golf team would be in-between 290-300.

Our first 2 rounds were a struggle for the team as well as myself shooting a 305 and 303.  With the stiff competition we faced at this awesome event, we were sitting in 12^th of 15 team going into Tuesdays 3^rd and final round.  Monday night all the guys did pretty much  what we’ve gotten used to this year, cleaning and packing so after another average final round we didn’t have to wait to get back in our coach bus for this trips 13 hour drive.  Little did we know that this next round would be our best, ever.

All guys did their usual pre round warm up to get ready for the round.  Putting and stretching and hitting were all done in various orders.  We got carted out to the holes we started on and just so happened the 3 holes that we were starting on was the toughest 3 hole stretch on the course.  It was going to be a good start.  Our 2 coaches do a good job keeping us updated on how the other guys are doing.  We knew that we were having a pretty good day pretty much the other round.  However, those who know golf know that a bad hole is bound to happen, especially on a course this hard.

Par on PGA national was 72, which is standard, making 288 an even par and really good round.  As the round concluded, 4 of our 5 guys had shot under par, guaranteeing us that our round was going to be below 288.  We found out soon after that we had shot a combined 279, 9 under par and a Queens record all time record.  We jumped up from 12^th to 6^th and beat some of the best teams in the country.  279 was also the low round of the tournament.

If I’m venting a little too much, forgive me or go read another post, but this round was pretty special.  I was proud of my guys and it was fun to see the reactions of people once they found out what we shot.  It was my all-time low team score to be a part of.  It was a cool feeling.

Thanks for reading, show my team some love.

CJ

Meet the new boss. Just like the old boss. The iPhone 5

     It finally got here, my 64 gb black iPhone 5. This posting will entail a short synopsis of the iPhone 5. The anticipation of unboxing it was killing me when I received the shipped notification from Verizon. While unboxing it I immediately could tell that it was lighter. Once in my hands it almost felt like a toy phone compared to my iPhone 4s, especially with Apple getting rid of the glass back and replacing it with lighter slate type material that almost feels like the same material used on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The weight reduction was beyond noticeable to the point where I was nervous to even hold it. However, within the past few days I’ve gotten used to the weight reduction and now my iPhone 4s feels like a brick compared to the 5. 

     Oh yeah, it’s lightening fast too. Downloading my pervious apps in the LTE (4g) mode was quicker than ever. With the screen being slightly larger some apps were even enhanced for the resolution of the iPhone 5. This has been the first time in iPhone history that Apple has increased the screen size. It’s more but yet less at the same time. 

       The camera on the 5 is fairly similar if not the exact same as the camera on the 4s; however, the front facing camera has been up dated. There is a new user interface that came with the iOS6 for Music; it simply works and boy is it even smoother on the 5. The entire phone operates seamlessly, this is thanks to the A6 chip within the 5, the new boss, just like the old boss but even better. There is a noticeable increase in battery life, my phone was fully charged yesterday and today at 5:07 pm it still has 18% remaining; not bad considering I’ve been texting, playing around with Siri, and browsing my apps. 

     All in all, the iPhone 5 raises the bar again. Apple took the iPhone 4/4s and said how can we make it better. They didn’t come on with an iPhone that is totally different. I feel iPhone users like to know what they are getting, they don’t want to figure out how to work something. From the second I placed the 5 in my hand I knew exactly what I was getting but yet got so much more at the same time. 

Krisztian Martin 

Fall: The Most Dangerous Season of All

                Every year, people around the country get excited for the one season of the year determined to kill us all. When the leaves start to change, it’s a clear sign that Mother Nature is ready to do battle with mankind. Most of my posts have been quirky and (hopefully) entertaining, but we all know that with a great blog comes great responsibility. It is for that very reason that I must warn you about the most dangerous season of all.

                When I walked out of my dorm earlier in the week, I noticed the first signs of the new season.  I must say, it was gorgeous outside… too gorgeous. As I strolled towards my class, I breathed in the crisp air and basked in the glorious sunshine. Unfortunately, I was so intoxicated with the beauty of the day that I walked directly into a light post. A chill went down my spine (despite the comfortable temperature), and right then and there I knew that Fall was up to something. It’s so darn pretty outside that people forget what they’re doing and get into all sorts of trouble. I was fortunate to escape Fall’s trickery with just a headache, because many people end up lost in the woods or walking in other places that have more dire consequences (i.e. six-lane highways, off cliffs, into ponds).

                Mother Nature also uses Fall as a way to hide incredibly dangerous things from us. The threat of a blanket of leaves over the nation is perhaps even more concerning than a blanket of snow, because people are more adventurous in the warmer weather. It may seem ridiculous, but just sit back and imagine the horror that could await you if you decide to jump into an unknown pile of leaves. Who’s to say that a hungry Kodiak bear isn’t hibernating under that pile of leaves (I’m not even going to Google if that makes sense or not)? Or perhaps the leaves are precariously perched atop a hole in the ground that reaches all the way to the earth’s core? What if it is just a regular pile of leaves, but all the leaves are covered in ANTHRAX?!?!?

                The reality is that most people will just catch a cold or overdose on pumpkin spice lattés this fall, but be aware of the danger surrounding you at all times. Hooray Fall! 

- Eric Richard

Beam me up!

     I am a nerd.  Ever since I realized this, I have embraced it and proudly worn my nerd badge of honor.  Now you may be thinking, “Jenna, what is it specifically that makes you a nerd?  And what kind of nerd are you?”  Well my blog viewers, I am a sci-fi nerd.  I love it and just can’t get enough.

Patrick Stewart!

Nimoy and Shatner

     It all started sophomore year of High School.  I just happened to be flipping through channels and something caught my eye.  It was Patrick Stewart (the man who plays the kick-butt Prof.  Charles Xavier for the X-men movies).  So like I was saying, Patrick caught my eye and I said to myself, “Hey he’s a great actor, maybe I should give whatever this show is a shot.”  What was the show?  You guessed it baby… Star Trek: The Next Generation!  After about ten minutes I was hooked, and thus began my love affair with sci-fi.  Since that fateful day I have spread the love with other fantastic sci-fi television series’ and movies.

     Some of my all time favorites are: Star Trek The Next Generation, and Voyager (duh), Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica (the new version) and the Youtube sensation RoosterTeeth (I know they are gaming, and I’m not into that, but it’s still pretty nerdy).

Me and my Klingon Pals

     I think the consummation of my love for Star Trek occurred when I traveled from Charlotte, NC to Las Vegas, NV in order to experience my very first… Official Star Trek Convention!  It was incredible!  Meeting the actors, hearing the stories from behind the scenes, seeing all the people who were dressed up as their favorite characters (though I did feel a bit out of place being one out of a handful of people in regular clothing). It was truly a fabulous experience.  Would I go again?  Maybe.  Would I be willing to go to a different shows convention?  Oh yeah!

Me and a couple of Aliens

     So basically, the moral of this blog is that no matter who you are or how you think people will judge you, you must be yourself.  (Even if that means that you received two Klingon Dictionaries for one Birthday haha).

Live Long and Prosper!
Until next time,

Jenna Buthman

Giddy-Up

     Last semester I had the amazing opportunity to fill my PE credit with Horse Back riding!  I had ridden before but I’d never taken official lessons.  Walking up to the stables, the first thing that hits you is the smell.  It’s flipping nasty! You get used to it after a while, but sometimes it will waft past you, and boy it is unpleasant.

     Anyway, once you get past the smell you are shown around the grounds.  You first learn about the different types of saddles, the bit, the stirrups, the bridle, as well as how to groom your horse.  Once you have mastered these skills you are ready to hop up on your horse!

     It’s a little scary at first.  You are high up in the air; your stirrups are your only “seatbelt” and your sitting on top of an animal that has a mind of its own.  Again, you slowly get used to it and eventually you are standing up in your stirrups, making figure eights, and weaving in and out between cones.

     The next level is learning to Trot.  It’s basically a simple 1, 2, rhythm.  Every time the horse goes up, you stand up into your stirrups.  It is really fun!  The final thing that I got the chance to learn during the semester was how to Canter.

     For me, Cantering was very fast and very scary.  But once I had the rhythm down and hopped on the right horse, I began to slowly come to love it.

     Overall, Horse Back Riding classes were one of the best experiences of my life.  It is so peaceful and enjoyable.  I loved being in the outdoors, creating bonds with the horses and my fellow riders, and learning a skill that I hope to cultivate over time.

Until Next Time,

Jenna Buthman

101 of Dining Out

I have had it! There should be a manual people read before dining out, because honestly some people have absolutely no common sense nor do they have a shred of respect. This blog post will be different, it might sound like a rant, and if it does I sincerely apologize but after my third IPA this is the only thing I could think about writing about at the moment.

First, we will start with a few things NOT to do at the beginning of your dining experience:

- Don’t start talking to me about your problems; I don’t care that you’ve had a bad day. You think you had a bad day, I’m here listening to your bad day and I’m not even getting paid for it. Please go see a therapist, I don’t get paid enough for your problems.
- Once I’ve greeted you, the proper response would be a friendly response, such as, hi, how are you? not dike coke, or what soups do you have today? This is a not a great way to establish a relationship with your waiter.
- If you are the first one to arrive from your party of six, don’t tell me you have five more coming. I’m not blind nor stupid. Thanks captain obvious.

- Don’t tell me you’re ready to order and then ask me 30 questions, there are hungry children to feed at the table next to you, Tom needs another remoulade sauce, and Kevin has blown down six diet cokes in ten minutes.
- Don’t look at my crouch when asking for a straw, it makes me feel weird. Also, carrying straws in an apron is considered unsanitary; you’d love to know what kind of miscellaneous particles I find in my apron at the end of the shift.
- Never say “they did it for us last time”. I’ve worked here for three years and I have never seen you here. Also, I don’t wear this uniform because I’m in a fan club or anything.. Just ask, I’m sure “they” will do it for you.

Now, here are some things your shouldn’t do during the middle of your dining experience;

- Slow down on the diet coke Kevin.....
- I clearly didn’t cook your food, so I’m sorry if Juan overcooked your steak.
- If you have more than four allergies, you should probably consider staying at home and cooking for yourself.
- NEVER call me buddy, chief, bro, sweetheart, or any variation of those words. I have a name, if you want to know it simply ask.
- A well done steak takes at least 15 minutes, just to let you know.
- If you don’t tranquilize your children I will.
- Never raise your hand. We aren’t in school but if you continue to misbehave I will put you in time out.

Finally, for the end of your dining experience:

- You’re not at cracker barrel, you pay me, not at the front.
- Tip is required, if you don’t have any money for tip please stay at home, enough said.
- Automatic gratuity for large parties is company policy, not mine, get with it.
- Don’t eat your food and then tell me you didn’t like it. Let’s be realistic here, you shouldn’t force yourself to eat something you don’t like...
- Using ten splendas for one iced tea is unhealthy.
- Not every restaurant offers free dessert for birthdays, even air at gas stations isn’t free, get used to things not being free. Don’t make it awkward for me please.
- Please try to at least clean up a little after your children or next time call a babysitter, no one wants to deal with the aftermath little Timmy left behind.
- Never ever come in within ten minutes of closing, you will be glared at until you leave.
- And please, if we’ve been closed for over an hour and you’re within the walls of our establishment and I can’t go home, I will personally find where you work and make your work life a living hell.


Well, I hope everyone enjoyed my fun tips for dining out. I’m sorry if anyone found any of this offensive, if you did, I’m sorry but at least now you know! :)

Krisztian Martin

Falcon Fun Night

Every Sunday I go to Forrest Hills Church with a friend of mine who plays football for the new UNCC football team.  This past Sunday his kicking coach, Mike Striker joined us and invited me to participate in a community service opportunity called Falcon Fun Night.  Thursday afternoon Mike volunteers at Quail Hollow Middle School for Falcon Fun Night.  Which is an outreach program organized by Forest Hills Church.  Earlier today a few of my Kappa Delta sisters, along with myself, went to Quail Hollow Middle School to volunteer with Mike. 

It’s amazing how much the children really appreciate someone giving them extra time and attention.  The set up of Falcon Fun Night is very well organized.  The church makes use of all the different classrooms by having each classroom have a group leader and a topic.  The topics included anything from arts and crafts to biology. 

The experience was hilarious, I come from a fairly large family but even I forget how funny kids can be when they aren’t even trying.  Mike was also such a good mediator.  He had a good balance of letting the kids say what they needed to say, and keeping them on track

 At one point Mike asked the kids who their best friends were, and their responses had me in tears of laughter.  One kid named Brandon talked about his best friend Wyatt.  Wyatt’s family had to move because they bought so many car’s they couldn’t fit them all in their garage.  Mike cut him off when he started to talk about all the motorcycles Wyatt’s family also owned.  One kid described his best friend as an imaginary friend named Gary.  However he was upset because Gary had to move away to California when he parents got a divorce.  Mike sympathized with him by saying “yes it’s always difficult when imaginary friends move away”.  Another kid named Leshawn really enjoyed having my friends and I in the classroom.  I was flattered when he said “I want them to come back next time cuz them girls are grown". 

-Anna Kirwan