Sitting on my futon pretending I wasn't

I just spent three hours finishing up John Grisham's Playing for Pizza, a book that was surprisingly engaging and non-lawyerly. It was delightful really. Basic synopsis: a washed-up NFL quarterback lands himself reluctantly in Parma, Italy and plays a season for the hometown Panthers who literally play the game of football americano for pizza and pride. Great book. Even a great shoutout for all the lovely UGA girls -- and AXO specifically.

And the book reaffirmed the fire that I feel for traveling. I don't think I've ever been pulled as much to do something with my life as I am being pulled to travel in the near future. I want to see Italy. I want to "spread my wings" as the saying goes. I want to feel out of place. I want to step off a train in Europe with a map, a couple Euros and no plans whatsoever. I think I'd need clothes as well, but those can always be acquired on the way.

In short, I'm inspired. It's weird. I should be excited for senior year football season here (face it, who isn't in Athens?). But I'm honestly more excited for what the world holds for me afterward. Where will it take me for Christmas break even? Then May after commencement? Will I actually intern in Australia? So many questions...we'll just have to wait and see.

For now, below is a copy of the email I sent my family. Since they're usually the only ones reading my blog anyway, this will be a rehash. Oh well. It's a lot of rambling, I know.

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First off I want to apologize for stalking both of you so doggedly today on my roommates' phones, but it was a stressful day not being attached to my own phone. I think the AT&T support lady summed it up beautifully this way when I spoke with her: "I can see how your buttons not working would be a problem." I thought that qualified as a massive understatement.

I just finished off Playing for Pizza, that John Grisham book that y'all had at home -- I took the liberty of stealing (borrowing) it because I didn't have anything else to read. And with my phone playing dead for the day, I decided that today was as good as any to spend time reading. For lack of a better word, the book was delightful. All about Italy, football, finding yourself somewhere else and generally meandering through and enjoying life. Oddly enough the girl who enters the book 2/3 of the way through it as the sort of heroine rescuing our wandering, washed-up quarterback with her "miles of tanned legs," her insatiable curiosity, her enthusiasm and her youth is a UGA girl on an extended study abroad trip with some of her Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters. I laughed and decided that it's definitely good PR for UGA and it's gorgeous "scenery." Just made the book that much more enjoyable. And also made any personal excursion over that way seem that much more plausible.

Are we still planning on/trying to go to Italy in May? Because if anything, the book has made me want to spread my wings over the country even more. It all just seems so romantic (in several senses I guess). I know it probably isn't nearly as I'm picturing it, but if any place would be, I have a feeling it'd be Italy. So regardless of whether we decide to make a family trip of it, I want to finagle my way over there somehow sometime soon. Maybe Christmas? That's probably much too soon though. Just thinking (typing) aloud (without restraint). I'm sitting barefoot out on our porch right now with my new favorite (linen) shirt, my iPod speakers playing some Counting Crows -- they were playing a little calmer Amos Lee while I was reading -- with my propped-up legs supporting my oh-so-hip(pie) Apple laptop. I'm trying to imagine that my futon is instead some cafe on the corner of some Italian intersection, my cup of water instead a glass of local wine and my iPod tunes instead the soft arias of some opera in the background. Or maybe the music would still be coming from my iPod. Either way. I think I could pull off the traveling-American-attempting-

to-blend-into-the-local-scenery part fairly well.

I thought the free time on every day but Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester (and probably next) would be a great time to catch up, work out, run, whatever. But it seems that it gives my mind a lot more idle time to think about the near-term future. Near-term as in I'm applying to be a Terry Ambassador this week, but also near-term in the fact that I can't get over the traveling bug that seems to have bitten me (and hung on for dear life). The stress and constant going of life in college/America gets tiresome...and I know that rings fairly hollow when you're working an 8 - 6 full-time job. But I'm beginning to feel the press of the end of school even these several months away, and I want to do something radically different to broaden my mind. Instead of being engaged in a textbook in Athens, Georgia in the US of A, I want to see if I can't apply whatever I've learned in a different setting. Something to keep me on my toes. Maybe literally. I don't know. The idle ramblings of someone deprived of sleep and overwhelmed with the reality that life decisions happen in my own life and not just others'.

I'll sign off now to let y'all return to whatever you were doing before I ambushed you electronically. Just a few thoughts I guess. I had no real point in writing this.

Love,
ET

PS: What are your thoughts about Barack-Biden '08?

Senior Project

I've decided that my newfound interest in photography and my lack of time on UGA's campus create a perfect storm for a sort of senior project. I've decided that I'll be taking a single picture each Tuesday and each Thursday -- the only days of my classes on campus -- at the exact same spot on North Campus at the (relatively) exact same time until the end of next semester. Then I'll compile all the pictures, shrink them down and put them all in a frame as a sort of chronological mosaic of my senior year.

The catch: I haven't yet decided the place or the time. It'll have to be between 9:30am and 3:15pm because that's my class time, but I'm flexible (as long as it's during class change). And I have no idea about the location...the Arch has been overdone, the bell wouldn't bring in any nature, etc.

Any suggestions?

Pictures should begin next week, as I have to get my camera replaced at Best Buy today.

I think I'm going to outlaw the word "gamer" forever

I swear, if I hear it one more time (or 6,2154 before this game is over, I'm sure) I'm going to [insert gross/angry/ridiculous action here] all over ESPN. These announcers are ruining the game for me. Here's how I think their pregame run-through probably went:

Orel "Bulldog" Hershiser: Looks like it's my dream College World Series! Now, who to root for on national TV without any attempt to hide my bias?

Mike "I wish I still did college football so I could make this kind of verbal love to Tim Tebow too" Patrick: If Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and the rest of our mother company's college football (and basketball, OMG!!11!!!!1!) announcers can do it for Tim Tebow, then I'll do Fresno State the same way.

Orel: Oo, oo, I call dibs on the word "gamer." Every time I use it during the game, you owe me $5!

Mike: Well, fine then. I'll just lavish any and all praise on them while ignoring Georgia all the while. Maybe then Fresno State will pay me for hyping them up and I can pay you back, O.

This is really getting ridiculous. I think ol' Orel's made almost $100 so far. If he doesn't have anything good stats-wise to talk about a Fresno kid, he just talks about how tough he is. Or how he's so athletic. Or how people always counted him out. Or how his coach is the only one who believes him. And Mike will chime in profoundly with something like "That's why they're a Cinderella. Against this nationally seeded UGA team. Boy, I'd take any one of them for my team." [Emphasis added only in font, not in voice]

Poythress just beat a throw to the plate with a tremendous facefirst slide, and all Mike can talk about is how great of an arm the rightfielder has. IT'S FREAKING RICH POYTHRESS THAT HE'S TRYING TO THROW OUT!!!! Rich - bless his heart - had hardly even rounded third, and the hit was a grounder the rightfielder could easily run in on.

And Lyle Allen made an incredible catch, leaping up and crashing into the leftfield wall, and (guess what?!) Mike and Orel were talking about how great the Fresno kids were at hitting balls well to the opposite field.

And when pitcher Trevor Holder took an only-PING!-with-PING!-aluminum bats shot off his shin and still threw to first for the out, you say? No mention of how Trevor came back to get the next two outs easily. They went back to how hard the little freshman shortstop had hit it. Great work.

And against Stanford, if you'd actually listened to Mike and Orel, you would have thought Stanford had two of their guys playing outfield for us. Mike did it several times over consecutive innings, even with the roster sitting right in front of him.

It almost almost (actually not even close) makes me wish for the days of Fox's Sugar Bowl announcing. I still don't know who "Nomar Moreno" is.

Oh well, in the words of the immortal Chad Hume (I just got off the phone with him):

"We don't need the popular vote anyway!"

Agreed. Let's go, Dawgs!

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UPDATE: ESPN now has shown an all-Fresno State game highlight video montage after commercial break complete with a priceless scowl from Trevor after a home run, I'm sure. They've also debuted a series of interviews with the Fresno players that they showed before another Fresno at-bat. No sign of UGA as of yet.

UPDATE #2: Suck on that.

GEORGIA BEATS #1 MIAMI IN THE 9TH INNING!!!!11!!1!!

Picture courtesy of GeorgiaDogs.com

This game was breathtaking. Back and forth and back and forth. For starters, Miami is an incredible team. They have power from every spot in the lineup, they have 3 first-round MLB draft picks and they are head and shoulders better than any other team in America. At least that's what I'd heard.

Here's a little stat to ruin the ending (even more than my title): Miami WAS 45-0 this season when leading after 8 innings. Now, you can take that goose egg down. 45-1 sounds much better. The Dawgs did it.

We scored 4 in the top of the ninth, led by the bottom of the order no less. It involved just about everything a baseball fan could ask for (except that the home runs came earlier in the game): a passed ball 3rd strike single, a throwing error, a slap bunt attempt, and an underdDAWG clutching it out in the 9th. And in the rest of the game there were 4 home runs, a 2-strike bunt single, 98-mph fastballs (just from Josh Fields) and dedicated Dawg fans.

Those sure are some damn good Dawgs. So proud right now.

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UPDATE: The Red & Black chimes in.
Not all Georgia baseball accolades come on the field. Congrats, Gordon and Josh!
Paul Westerdawg loves him some David "Jerry Bruckheimer" Perno.

Words for graduates

As finals time begins, continues and, eventually, ends, I realize that some of my closest friends will be graduating and leaving. I have no idea if I'll see a lot of them again, and I probably won't get the chance to say any "last words," because I'm not very good at it and I usually avoid it. I hate good-byes. I draw them out awkwardly, in that I've-already-hugged-you-shrugged-my-shoulders-sighed-heavily-and-hugged-you-again sort of way. You know what I'm talking about. So since I'm terrible at "last words," I figured I'd share someone else's last words with you in my place.

Here is the transcript to Garrett Gravesen's 2003 commencement address. His picture is that crazy one up there. At the top of the page is this presumptuous title:

In what many have called the greatest speech ever given at the University of Georgia, Garrett Gravesen delivers the commencement Speech to the Graduating Class of 2003 encouraging everyone to be a HERO.

I was understandably skeptical at first glance, but do yourself a favor and read through it. You'll laugh out loud, struggle to not tear up and get that warm-fuzzy feeling inside. For those who don't know, Garrett -- along with Ryan Gembala -- founded HERO for Children, the UGA chapter of which is now a huge philanthropy. Check out their story here. And here are some choice words that I jealously wish I had come up with on my own...but I didn't.

"Regardless, there is one thing that connects us all. Within each and every one of us is a Voice. I am not sure where it comes from. Maybe it's the natural or the supernatural, maybe its from within or a land far away I don't know. This voice speaks to us when we are younger and we think we can conquer the world. As we get older, however, other people tell us everything we are un-able to do in life and sooner or later most people start believing this until one day that voice is gone and never comes back again."

These words about Voice harken back to an earlier post that I made regarding childhood dreams (refresher). It's incredible that a graduating college senior already has such words like this. Imagine being in the class of '03, sitting in Sanford Stadium, sweating beyond belief, hearing these words and wondering how your college career could have been different if you'd heard them freshman year. How did one of your peers find such an incredible passion? How did he give up everything the world thought important for a risk and a whim? And how in the world did that whim turn into such a life-changer, city-changer and nation-changer?

About that time you might realize that, no matter what you did or didn't do here at UGA, you've left your mark. It may not be as big or obvious as Garrett's, but you realize that you couldn't avoid impacting others' lives. It's why you were all accepted here and ultimately, it's why you chose to attend here. Because you knew -- somehow deep inside -- that UGA would give you that opportunity to change lives.

Then you snap back to the speech and Garrett comes at you with this:

"All I can say is that love is a work in progress. Never let yourself get so angry that you stop loving because one day you will wake up from that anger and the person you love will be gone. Remember that marriage is indeed a commitment, the wedding ring is a circle of trust and the time you spend with your significant other and those treasured moments you spend with the children you bring into the world are more important that any job you will ever get or money you may make."

Love is a work in progress.

Holy crap! So true! You give a little amen in your head, you nod approval, you maybe even clench your fist in confirmation. But you know. This man -- young adult, really -- is speaking about things much bigger than he is...and much bigger than any of us are. LOVE...a work in progress. Wow.

And you realize that it is true. Love is always something you're working toward. Not that you can never achieve it or that you can never find it or that you can never experience it. But that there's always more to it. There's always more love to experience. Whether it's in the realm of friendship, intimacy, spirituality, family or whatever, there's always more love than you can imagine. More than you can fathom. And more than you can wrap your head around. And you're comforted that again, no matter what you did or didn't do during college, you found love. True, lasting, deep love. From roommates, from your parents, from your professors, from your boyfriend or girlfriend. There's someone who'll be there for you. No matter what. And you ponder that for a second with a smile. And you again snap back to the present day.

And you see this amazing man leave the stage, the last few words you hear being these:

"As we go out and descend upon the world...Always leave more than anyone expects. Our lives are not all the same, but the voice inside of us is. Where it leads you-may all of you follow...There were friendships built and relationships lost, there were laughs that have brought us together and tears that have driven us apart, but it is all of this that has made college worthwhile."

And as you look around, at the crowd, at the faculty, at your classmates and at yourself you realize one last thing. This is what you've been working for. It's been (at least) 4 years probably, and you've been preparing for this moment. It's your time. And your childhood hero Dr. Seuss comes back to mind:

"Today is your day! your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way."

So now, class of 2008, you're all incredible. We've all been blessed beyond belief by your presence on this campus, and you'll be sorely missed. And, personally, I can't wait to see how much of the world you conquer by the time I graduate. We've got big shoes to fill.







And if you want to see another great UGA commencement speech, check out Kevin Scott's address from this past fall of '07 (in two installments):



Part 2:

Q: Where have I been this whole time?

A: I have no idea. And no excuse. Now, I don't want to underestimate the impact that my blog absence has caused for all of you guys -- or the two or three of you who have ever actually read this blog. Oh well, I've decided that I will try to do better from now on. For now indulge me as I give y'all a few updates, thoughts, observations, and predictions:

UPDATES

• I'm heading to San Diego in six days for a Risk Mgmt conference! I'll try to give some daily updates -- with pictures -- for all you guys who will be in Athens studying for finals. :)
  
• I successfully got into the Terry Real Estate program!
• I have three tests, two projects and two papers due this week!
• We now have an official hammock at our apt!!!!1!11!!!!!1
• All of our roommates are now officially 21!
• I love exclamation marks!!!111!1!!!!!!
• I actually joined an Athens Church community group...which is really exciting for me. And I'm trying to get back into the whole "Christian walk" thing, so I'll occasionally let you guys know what's up.
• I just subscribed to Twitter. Follow me. We'll see how this goes.
  

THOUGHTS

• Not sure...I don't know why I included this category in my list above. I don't really have anything to put here.

OBSERVATIONS

• The weather here in the ol' G-A is annoying. Annoying like the fat guy who always has the seat next to you on a long plane flight. Annoying like the crumbs and such at the bottom of a cereal box that, no matter how you try to avoid pouring them in your bowl, always seem to flood the top and get mushy with the milk. That annoying. Seriously, high of 58 two days ago, misty and windy yesterday morning, beautiful tropical weather today. What's the deal?
• Sometimes you get what you ask for. And sometimes what you ask for turns out to not be what you wanted at all. Case in point the Target case study for my leadership class. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to win a $3,000 scholarship for the group, but I'd also love to keep my sanity this week (see above). I hate it when this happens.

PREDICTIONS

• We've got a lot to look forward to for this season's Dawgs. Below is just one reason.

• Holy crap! And how about this one?

• Get excited. I'm buying red pants. Debate ensues. I look good regardless because I still have these. Be jealous. And I don't have any Friday class(es) next semester, so I'll be rockin' the UGA class all across the great Southeast. But not to Arizona State, because I'm poor.
• The Yankees will right the ship...soon...hopefully. Boy, I hate the Red Sox.
• I will somehow survive this semester and have an incredible summer in Tanzania and Atlanta.

And that's all I've got for you guys. Time for a Visitors Center spring banquet then my community group. If I blog from San Diego, then I've made it through this next week. If not, then I'm probably just being lazy. Sorry for the lack of pictures...I'll try to fix that. In the meantime, chew on this:

"Georgia is a powerhouse right now, and they were at the end of last year with the way they displayed it in their bowl game." -- Mike Aresco, CBS' senior vice president of programming.

UGA's Road to the National Championship

So it's been a while -- a very long while -- since I last wrote anything on this blog. And this post won't be a long update on where I've been all this time. It's just a simple plea to the college football gods: All I want this Christmas -- and I'd be damn thankful for it also -- is for these few things to happen over the next few weeks:

1. USC beats #6 Arizona St. -- UGA moves to #5
Done; I just finished watching the game. USC looked like USC used to, and Arizona St. looked exactly as I thought they would whenever I finally got around to seeing them play.
2. UConn beats #3 West Virginia
After the '06 Sugar Bowl I'll never count myself as a WVU supporter, and this game is no different.
3. #4 Missouri beats #2 Kansas...badly
Who are these teams anyway? The worse Missouri beats Kansas, the further KU falls in the polls, 'nuff said.
4. Kentucky beats Tennessee -- UGA goes to SEC Championship Game
This is the key to the whole scenario, and I haven't been this huge a Kentucky fan since...wait, I've never been a Kentucky fan. Sorry.
5. #7 UGA beats Ga. Tech
Just like last year...and the year before...and the year before...and the year before...okay, you get the point. The Dawgs must win convincingly to persuade the polls to drop Kansas behind us.

End of play for this week: UGA locks up a place in the SEC Championship against LSU; West Virginia, Kansas, and Arizona St. all fall behind the Dawgs in the BCS standings, leaving UGA at #4 (behind LSU, Missouri, and Ohio St.).

6. #4 UGA beats #1 LSU -- SEC CHAMPS!!!
I'll guarantee a victory in this one if we make it to the game (come on, Wildcats!) because there's no way LSU's now-porous run D can stop Knowshon and TBrown. Or just Knowshon.
7. Oklahoma beats #2 Missouri in Big 12 Championship
OU wins the Big 12 and life returns to normal...but only if USC can win the PAC-10 again, just like the whole past century.

End of play for this week: Ohio St. comes in at #1 in the BCS by default because they don't have any more games to play, and -- you guessed it -- that would be the Dawgs sitting pretty at #2 and poised for an incredible BCS Championship victory.

Now I know this might be a long shot, but the first step has already been completed right on schedule, so I don't see why the rest can't shake out. And there's seven steps necessary in this scenario, and seven is a lucky number...and Stafford's number...

We'll just have to sit back and see.
GO DAWGS! Sic 'em!
ET