Rumor Mill: TKE loses Recognition (confirmed)

(See updates at the bottom of this post.)

The other day one of my roommate's texted me "TKE lost recognition, you know anything?" At the time I didn't and I was busy and completely forgot about it. This evening I got another comment on a post again inquiring about TKE. So I went over to Twitter and posted a question asking if anyone had heard anything about this. Within a few minutes someone responded: "They did, someone stole a gun from their house and they had to report it. But then UNH found out they had weapons."

That is the only explanation I have heard so far; and in the mean time another friend texted me saying he heard the same thing. I guess that will do it, weapons on a college campus are always a scary thing especially in the post-Columbine and Virginia Tech era. I must admit, although they had a gun (and honestly it could have been a hunting rifle or shotgun, those seasons are just beginning) they did the right thing by reporting it to the police.

If you know anymore details, or if I'm completely wrong, please post your comments below.

Now I need to get back to studying watching the Red Sox.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

UPDATES:
I have heard from a few sources that 1 or 2 pounds of marijuana were found, as well as $2000 cash and the gun was also loaded. Read the comment section to see an explanation of their penalty from a current brother.

Like a Pro: Priorities and Contradictions at UNH

Note: This was written Sunday, before more information had been released on the Dining/Energy drink fiasco. At last word, President Huddleston has delayed the ban over the outcry of the student body. At least one administrator has common sense because either way we can get our drinks cheaper (although less convenient) downtown at the DUMP or Store 24 (even though it's not Store 24 anymore, that's all I'll ever call it.)

During my four years at UNH, I have noticed that many people on this campus, including faculty, the administration and the general employees do not always have their priorities quite right and they often contradict themselves and one another. I believe that it has become apparent that there is not enough communication between the different levels of school employees. Often times decisions are made without asking the students opinion, or more problematic, too small of a survey sample.

The priorities and contradictions that surround people at this school are often quite mind-boggling. We have a few current examples that prove my very point. Take UNH Dining for example. I know I pick on them a lot, but some of it is deserved. Ever since I've been here they have tried to promote healthy eating. They even went so far as to remove all the salt shakers from the tables at the dining halls and replacing them with expensive salt and pepper mills. Yet, this semester we returned to campus only to see that possibly the healthiest food source on campus, Panache, had been replaced with a Dunkin' Donuts. Personally, I don't mind this, I love their iced coffee, but it seems like a bit of a contradiction. No salt for you! But have all the Boston Creams you want. Then more news came out that effective in January all UNH Dining services will no longer serve energy drinks. Thankfully, President Mark Huddleston intervened and put the rule on hold.

I have two predictions if the rule is put into effect: It will cause the entire university's GPA to drop a full point and the number of students falling asleep in class will skyrocket. Dining, let me get this straight, salt and energy drinks are bad for us, but it is okay to put a Dunkin' Donuts in the middle of our student center located in the heart of campus? Stick to your guns about healthy eating, sustainability and local support or don't bother. Seriously, UNH dining flip-flops more than Mitt Romney.

Here is another example that deals with the faculty and administration. By now we all know about the Professor Larkin situation. He exposed himself to a teenage girl and her mother in a Market Basket parking lot and was given a three year probationary period where he won't be able to teach and only do research. I wonder if a male student were to be caught doing the same thing what the outcome would be? Probation? Expulsion? Would faculty members support a male student who pulled something like this, or would it be different? We have many student organizations and student support groups on this campus that completely focus on eliminating problems like this, but many of our professors portray Larkin as the victim.

UNH Housing doesn't stray from the pack either. For the first two years of my college career I lived in the regular dorms. I was a proud resident of Williamson Hall as a freshman and as a sophomore I was in Devine Hall. Last year and this year I have been lucky to live in the Gables. When I made the transition housing said that living in the Gables you have more freedom, more privacy and personal responsibility. Then what do they do? Move quiet hours up to be the same as the dorms. This does a few things. Here is my hypothetical prediction. This will drive more of the "party" students off campus.

Personally, if I knew about the change ahead of time, I would have avoided Gables and got an apartment this year. That extra hour makes a huge difference on the weekends. I also believe more students could potentially lose housing do to quiet hour violations that lead to alcohol and other more serious violations. It's the student's own fault, but midnight comes fast on a Friday night. Again this could lead to more students moving off campus and into Durham and the surrounding towns who already despise students living in residential neighborhoods. Durham and UNH relations are already tense and they have been for years and this could potentially add fuel to the fire.

UNH has so many different departments and levels of authority that it would be nearly impossible for them to not contradict themselves or one another. I believe there is going to be a greater need of cooperation and communication especially when the budget cuts begin having an even greater impact.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Energy Drink Gate

So I just read an article from WMUR that stated the one of the reasons behind the energy drink ban is that it is a common mixer with alcohol and that it makes students not realize how drunk they are. The old Four Loko problem. Personally, this makes me even more angry. It is ridiculous, what's next? Making UNH a dry campus? Students are still going to drink a lot and make stupid decisions no matter what the campus stores sell. I guess we'll just have to go down to Market Basket and buy bulk cases of Red Bull. It's a helluva lot cheaper there anyway. The UNH convenient stores have the most marked up prices I've ever seen. It's almost like they're trying to end the budget crisis on their own.

In the article UNH assistent vice president for business affairs David May was quoted as saying "Just recently, there was an incident on campus involving energy drinks that helped send a student to the hospital." Listen David, it wasn't the energy drink and it wasn't even the alcohol that sent a student to the hospital. It was the student who didn't know how to handle his or her own drinking. Every weekend hundreds of UNH students use energy drinks with alcohol and one person has a few too many and now we're all punished? This is group punishment because of one person's mistake.

So go ahead and take away all the Red Bulls from the UNH dining stores, but students are not going to stop drinking. And there will still be cases of students having to go to the hospital. It happens. This is college and you're only hurting students in the long run. You are taking away our ability to make our own decisions and sometimes people need to learn from their mistakes. Stupid kids aren't going to learn if you never give them the chance. Isn't college supposed to prepare us for the real world? Or are people going to be making decisions for me the rest of my life?

The article continued:

UNH said its plan to remove energy drinks is part of its mission to be the healthiest campus community in the country by 2020. Dining halls have eliminated trans fats from food, removed salt shakers from tables and reduced sodium in many recipes. Officials are also studying how to reduce the amount of high fructose corn syrup that’s served.

So they are giving two reasons for this. Healthy eating and alcohol mixing... oh, by the way, I'm so happy I won't be having to eat here in 2020. Sounds like the dining halls are gonna be gross. 

The Health Nazi

Today I give you another head scratcher courtesy of UNH Dining. I hate to always pick on them (okay, maybe I don't) but they seriously make it too easy. I love most of what they do, our dining halls are very good compared to other schools, but I feel it is my duty to speak my mind freely and truthfully. UNH dining recently announced that effective January 2012, UNH will no longer serve energy drinks. This includes the dining halls and dining stores such as Zeke's, Wildcatessen and Gables Convenience. I will discuss this a bit in my TNH column tomorrow, but I wanted to say a few things I couldn't fit in. This reminds me of the Seinfeld Soup Nazi clip (and again shows that old saying that everything can be connected to a Seinfeld episode - seriously if there are college classes on the Simpsons and the Red Sox and stuff, there should be one that studies current events through the window of Seinfeld episodes).

Those of you who don't know the episode (shame on you), here is the best clip I could find to embed:

In dining's case, it's more like: No salt for you! No energy drinks for you! But hey, have as many Boston Cremes and double glazed chocolate donuts that you want. 

The elimination of Red Bulls will lead to more students falling asleep in class and more students not being able to pull all nighters successfully. And this is college, so we're going try them anyways. But it has become quit obvious that dining has a hidden agenda to lower the entire school's GPA. Here's my conspiracy theory, UNH's GPA drops and it will be easier to get into. More students = more meal plans = more money for dining. It's quite obvious and evil genius if I dare say. Bravo dining, you may have won this round and fooled the school, but you can't fool me. For our health? Pah, yea right. Keep telling yourself that. Now when is that Dunkin' Donuts going to open in the middle of our student center again?

You may take our salt and our energy drinks. But you will never take our freedom!

Stay classy, not UMassy.

(PS: I'm just waiting for the day when I show up to HoCo and my card no longer has a meal plan)

Sunday Shout-Outs

Okay so I've been away from the blog longer than usual, but I've had a couple of crazy days. My colloquium class is keeping me super busy and weekend nights... well, you can probably guess. I've been meaning to do a couple hat tips or shout outs for a while now, so I figured I'd get them all done at once. I usually don't do posts like this, but these are a few things worth mentioning, plus I know the people involved read this blog and I like to show appreciation to all the readers out there.

First and foremost, Vahalla (the "Party at UNH" kid) recently released his newest mixtape "There is no Mixtape" after there almost wasn't a mixtape. Days before it's original release date over the summer his car was broken into and his laptop was stolen. He was able to recover a few files from emails and his friend's computers, but seven tracks are still missing, three will never be the same. You can download it for free here and I think although it is shorter it shows more variety then his last mixtapes. It ranges from pop to hip-hop and even a little dubstep. Several other UNH and former UNH students are featured on different songs.

Secondly, the boys from NEWD films have released a new short. Personally, it doesn't measure up to the satire of "white and ghetto" (my favorite of all their shorts) but it is still good for some hard laughs. They look into the dangers and life troubles of planking:

Third, I got to give some credit to the ladies over at "Her Campus UNH." Her Campus is a national blog with different chapters for dozens of colleges written by college girls. It is obviously tailed to girls, but I know I have many female readers. They specialize in lists and tips type posts and also feature a weekly campus celebrity and cutie. Might want to keep you eye on that one... the celebrity one that is...

I can't go another post without giving a shout out to Clementos Pizza and Brew. They have good food and while it might be a tad more expensive then the other bars, it is rapidly becoming my favorite spot on campus. Every time I've been it has started out slow, but it does get pretty busy. They have daily specials like the other bars, but friend them on facebook to hear about all of them ahead of time. The other night I was there for about an hour and I played three songs on the jukebox. Absolutely took the place over, or at least I thought I did. Let's just say all three songs turned the bar into a drunk sing-along of epic proportions. I don't think there was a soul in there who didn't belt it out to "Wagon Wheel," "Build Me up Buttercup" (Yeah, I went there) and "Fuck You."

And a final shout out to the kid I over heard in D-Hop the other night, just laying it all on the line trying to hit on this girl:

Girl: Are you a freshmen?
Guy: Nah, I'm a sophomore.
Girl: Oh, where do you live?
Guy: Williamson.

Buddy, you're doing it wrong. You may give him the benefit of the doubt that he was an RA, but let's say he didn't seem to give off that impression.

Stay classy, not UMassy

My Proposal For UNH's Budget Woes

If you have ever lived in the Gables, especially you are 21 you have probably thought or said this before, "How sweet would it be if Gables Convenience sold beer?" I know it will never happen, especially at UNH since they think alcohol is the devil, but hey, we can dream can't we.

If you think it can't be done because it would look like UNH is encouraging drinking, this is my rebuttal. North Tower also sells condoms. UNH is not encouraging sex, but safe sex. If they were to sell beer they wouldn't be encouraging drinking, but safe drinking. No more drunk beer runs right before beer-O'clock hits! That seems pretty logical to me. Yup, not a single logical fallacy in that argument. (If you point one out you're an asshole).

Okay okay. That whole beer sale thing was a joke, we all know that will never happen. That is why I devised an even more genius idea to help UNH fix its financial problem.

It's simple.

We all have to pay tuition right? Wrong! Many students have "earned" scholarships (athletically and academically) while thousands of others have loans so they pay a lot less right now. UNH simply has to tax those students based on how much their scholarships and loans are worth. Students with full-boat scholarships including housing, meals and books pay the biggest tax while students with just small loans pay a lesser amount. It's only fair. These kids are getting a free ride and taking the easy way out and I'm sick of it.

Ah, I have an even better idea.

Tax students who do pay their tuition, but based on their major. WSBE students don't have to pay any tuition tax because they're all going to run corporations one day so why should they start paying taxes now? Liberal arts students have to pay the highest tax rates because they're  going to be middle class and the middle class is everything that is wrong with America. Music and theater majors don't have to pay any tax because their going to be on welfare in a few years anyways. Those freeloading hippies.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Like a Pro: That Guy

One of the most common phrases to hear around a college campus is "that guy." Or more specifically "don't be that guy."

We have all said it, and most likely whether you want to admit it or not, we have all been "that guy" at least once before. I know I have, but we'll get to that later. There are many situations when "that guy" is muttered, or shouted, and in order to try and make UNH a friendlier place, I have devised a list of suggestions to help prevent you from ever being "that guy" and, yes ladies, "that guy" is not gender bias. No double standards here.

Whether it is in the classroom, at a party or the bar "that guy" is always present. He may not be noticeable at first, but have patience, he's there waiting for the right moment to strike mixed emotions from those around him.

The first one on my list is the guy who always asks a question at the end of class, especially when the professor says, "if you don't have any questions I guess we're done a little early." You think to yourself that you're done for the day and you already have thrown your notebook in the bag, but no. "That guy" raises his hand and, as the rest of the class let's out an annoyed sigh, he asks a question that was already covered during the lecture and it spurs the professor to repeat everything he/she already said for 10 minutes because "that guy" was either A) sleeping; B) too hungover to pay attention; or C) texting a girl who has no interest in him.

Another "that guy" in the classroom is the student who raises his hand to answer every question in class and is usually wrong. Even the professor has that upset look when he's the only kid raising his hand.
He then gives a five minute, long-winded and highly verbose, yet inaccurate response that prompts someone in the back of the room to make a Billy Madison reference. Although, on second thought, I think I get more annoyed at "that guy" who is always right and gives the answer in the smuggest way possible. The rest of the class probably knew the answer too, but we were lazy and raising our hand takes effort.

The last "that guy" from class is the kid who shows up every Monday and Friday morning bragging about how much he drank or the girls he hooked up with over the weekend or Thursday night. Shut up dude, we all know you got drunk off four Keystone Lights and played Call of Duty by yourself all night. Either that or you actually did go to a party, but you spent the night puking your brains out and angering all your friends.

Now that we've covered the "that guys" of the classroom, we can move on to the other part of college – the partying. Okay, so this one probably doesn't qualify as one, but do you ever feel like no matter where you go out to party, whether it's at a friend's, a frat or the bars you always see the same kid? You probably don't even know his name, but he always seems to be the guy to do something dumb or piss off a bunch of people. So maybe this one should be on it's own, but don't be "that guy" who invites "that guy" to your party. Follow?

For all of you 21-year-olds out there, don't be "that guy" who yells at the bartender when service is taking too long. A) The bar is packed and he's swamped and is working non-stop. B) If he actually hears you he won't serve you at all and C) If you where him you'd serve all the pretty girls first too.

I'm running out of space, so lightning round time. Don't be "that guy" with the annoying girlfriend who sleeps over every single night. Don't be "that girl" who drinks too much, cries and then pukes. Don't be "that guy" who is 10 minutes late to every class. Don't be "that guy" who literally gets piss drunk – you're a big boy now; you can use the potty like the rest of us. Don't be "that guy" who gets mad at the party host when it's time to leave. It's called respect, have it.

The list can go on forever so I guess what I should say is to really think before you do something because nobody wants to be that guy.

Stay classy, not UMassy

UNH Cops: It's on like Donkey Kong

So I'm sitting in my room doing some work and one of my roommates walk by. He says that on his way to class he saw a cop J-walk across Main Street and begin to give out parking tickets. As my roommate passes he notices a meter that has run out and he slips a quarter in the slot before the cop was able to see that the meter had hit zero. Cabinet Kid 1 Cop 0. After he finishes telling me this story I check my emails to see that a new comment was left on my post about the Stoke RA. It was left by that very RA. After an email exchange, he sent me this statement:

Hi all, I just so happen to be the RA that was indeed arrested for J-Walking. Here’s the Scoop.


I did in fact cross the road using a sidewalk however I did not see any officer attempting to direct traffic. I was walking back from class and came up to the sidewalk that heads over to Garrison Avenue (the one closest to Hoco). A car came to a stop and waved me out so I crossed the road.


When I got to the near end of the crosswalk and officer yelled at me to stop. I took two steps to the other side and stopped. Officer Deschenes ran over and scolded me, and then continued to write me a ticket. I objected the ticket stating I would see it through in court; this in turn put us on a bad course. I continued to question the officer about the situation and the resulting ticket. It began to frustrate me that the officer was not answering the questions and in fact seemed to be stating a false situation. The argument or discussion, depending on how you deem it, came to abrupt end when the officer yelled in my face to “Stop running my mouth!” I became overly aggravated with that attitude and I myself developed a similar attitude and a similar response. This in turn got me arrested. What I did may or may not be right or lawful, you be the judge.

Well, there you have it, it wasn't exactly J-walking like I had heard, but it definitely seems like a verbal warning would have been more appropriate for the situation had it not escalated. Hopefully I'll have more on this situation as it unfolds.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

UNH's New Theme Song

Today the Huffington Post ran a slideshow of the richest state's in America. New Hampshire actually topped the list with a median income of $66,303 and a 7.1% poverty rate, which is the lowest in the country. New Hampshire also has the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the country, checking in at 5.2%. New Hampshire has money, but very little of it is paid to the state universities. You know, the places where our students go to be educated before working, many of whom will get jobs right here. UNH isn't getting any money because, to put it quite simply, the state's republicans don't want to and anyone who has ever picked up a copy of the Union Leader with a front page editorial blasting UNH (which seems to happen about once a week) knows that the people at the UL will do anything to make UNH look bad. It's the "number one" paper in the state and as one of my literary heros Hunter S Thompson once put it, it's the "worst paper in America."

New Hampshire residents have money, the governor wants to give it to us, but the state senate won't let that happen. Because of all this, I think President Huddleston needs to adopt a new theme song for UNH. I think this would be appropriate:

I Got the Hockey Bug

Over the last few days I have gotten the hockey bug. I cannot wait for the season to begin. I have been in close contact with the students who are forming "The Wildcat Army" and will be replacing the superfans this year. Let me just say that we have some awesome things in store and as the season approaches I'll have many more details, including new chants and traditions. It's going to be an awesome season and our main goal is to get the Whit louder than ever and make opponents tremble. Take a look at this gem from the old Snivley Area (what is now the rec center):

If that doesn't get you pumped then I don't know what will.

The Straw Factor

I know people have complained that sometimes I write too much about drinking and alcohol and all that, but what can I say. I like to drink. But this is a serious question. Is it always girly to drink out of a straw? Like I get that if it was a more feminine drink, or even a "neutral" drink, or definitely something straight up, but say I am drinking a whiskey and coke out of a mason jar and the ice is blocking easy access for the drink to enter my mouth, a straw would negate that problem. It creates an easier flow so more alcohol can be consumed in less time. It's like the Miller Lite vortex bottle. Also if you have facial hair like me one of the last things you want is cheap smelling and tasting alcohol on your mustache. A straw prevents this. When you go to the bars on campus they almost always give you a straw, especially during well drink specials or beat the clock hours. This is an honest question: is it okay for me to drink using a straw, keeping in mind that it is a cheap whiskey and coke out of a mason jar? Usually I wouldn't even have thought about it, but the other night a female friend of mine said it would be girly when I mentioned getting straws at the store. I mean, if I have a nice drink, like a straight whiskey sour, definitely no straw. But cheap whiskey in a mason jar is another story. And don't think that I'm self-conscious or something, I Steven Glansberg it almost everyday at HoCo.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Talkin' Business

So two years ago I got a bunch of business cards and pocket calenders to help promote the blog. I think like 500 of each or something like that. I just came across them and I still have about 200 business cards and I threw the calenders away because they were for 2010. Anyways, I''m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the business cards. In the past I left them around my dorm and the MUB and stuff.

My question to you is what should I do with the remaining 200 cards? Help me come up with an idea for some sort of scavenger hunt or something. I'm a liberal arts student, WSBE kids help me out! What do I do with business cards?

Like a Pro: Ten Years

This is my first TNH column of the year. When I woke up last Sunday, I just started writing it without even knowing what I was going to say. It just spilled out. I already wrote the posted the main idea of it Sunday morning, but this is the full version. I hope you take something from it, because I know I got a lot from writing it. 

There are a handful of days, moments really, that I will never forget.
I will never forget when my friends and I got sent to the principal's office in first grade for being too rough at recess. I will never forget certain sporting events I've watched or attended. I'll never forget special moments with my parents and grandparents, my brother's wedding, or the first time I held my niece. But there are three moments in my life that have forever changed me and everyone I know – both in the way we think and the way we live.

The first of those moments was September 11, 2001. Ten years ago.

It was fourth period – social studies – and I was in the sixth grade. The teachers decided to tell us about the attacks on the World Trade Center about an hour after it happened. I had never had to think about things outside my own bubble before, but that changed when I saw my teacher frantically making phone calls as we entered the room. Her sister was a flight attendant who was safely grounded in Texas.
My teacher brought up CNN.com and showed us pictures of what had happened. We couldn't even begin to comprehend the situation, why would someone crash a plane into a building? There is one thing that is clear about that day. Whether you are a conservative or liberal, a gun-slinger or a peace-loving hippie, a Christian, a Muslim or an atheist, your life dramatically changed that day.

In ways we don't even realize, or want to realize, our lives have changed. Whether you knew someone involved or not your world had shifted. That day impacted me in more ways than I imagined it could have when I first heard the news and in ways I am still discovering 10 years later.

The second moment that I will never forget was the morning of my 13th birthday in 2003. I came downstairs and my parents were watching the news and drinking their morning coffee. It was nothing out of the usual, but something felt different.

I looked at the TV and saw that the United States had begun bombing Iraq and "Operation Iraqi Freedom," which was the "liberty cabbage" way of saying that we were at war. It was the first time in my life where I was old enough to remember or reflect on, my country was at war. As the days passed, the war progressed. Months and years went by and the war had spread. As Hunter S. Thompson so accurately put it on September 12th, 2001, “We are At War now -- with somebody -- and we will stay at War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives… We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once.” Ten years later and he could not have been more correct.

The third moment that I'll never forget came on an August afternoon in 2010. I had been working that morning and when I got home I opened up my Twitter feed. There was a tweet from WMUR that said a Kensington, New Hampshire Army Ranger was killed in Afghanistan. I had grown up in Kensington; it is a stereotypical small New Hampshire town growing from farms to big developments where everyone knew everyone, especially when I was younger.

I feared the worst and when I clicked the link I saw a familiar face. He had been on my brother's little league team years before and our moms knew each other quite well. It was the first time, and hopefully the only time, that someone I knew died in war. I had friends who knew him much better than I did, but it still hit me hard. It changed my views and made me question certain things.

But one thing is for certain, for as long as America is at war I will always support the troops, no matter what reasons for war our government gives us.

I know this is being distributed a few days later, but when I woke up Sunday morning and began writing this, not even with the initial intention of it being a column, I couldn't get a quote out of my head. It actually comes from rapper Talib Kweli: "Stand tall or don't stand at all."

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Did a Stoke RA get arrested... for J-Walking?

So over the past few days the rumor mill has been swarming about an apparent arrest of a Stoke RA. According to two sources on Twitter a Stoke RA was given a citation for J-walking across Main Street by Thompson Hall. From what I was told when the RA questioned the reason for the citation the cop placed him under arrest. Now, I do not know what was said between the officer and the student or any other details, but I trust that this story is true because the tipsters have both been helpful to me in the past. I have heard other stories of citations being given recently for J-walking, but this is definitely the most alarming one.

Is J-walking technically illegal? Yes. But this is a college campus. I probably J-walk five times a day without even thinking about it. Personally, I think it's more efficient and dare I say friendlier and even at times safer, to cross a street when the coast is clear then waiting at a cross walk and causing cars to slow or stop. Just the other day I saw a car slam on its brakes at the crosswalk at the top of the A-Lot stairs because a pedestrian was crossing. I find it quite ridiculous that an actual ticket and fine would be given for this "crime." Obviously if this student really was arrested he probably said or did something wrong, but for the life of me I can't think of what he could have SAID. I mean, I almost want to start J-walking more just so I can see what the course of action a cop would take in the situation. While there are a few decent and sane UNH cops, many of them have the Rod Farva syndrome because they were probably picked on in high school.

Now gimme a goddamn liter-a-cola!

10 Years.

There are a handful of days, moments even, that I will never forget. I'll never forget sixth grade social studies, on that sunny Tuesday in September 2001. I'll never forget the morning of my 13th birthday in 2003 when we first started bombing Iraq, I'll never forget the day in August 2010 when I first lost someone I knew in Afghanistan. There are other days I'll never forget, but there will never be another day in my life that won't be impacted by those three and I know that is a fact. We will never be the same again, but we need to continue moving on. To quote Talib Kweli, "stand tall or don't stand at all."

Whiskey Time!

The Maine Guy is coming to Durham and I got my first handle of whiskey of the year. I had been on a gin kick, but it's whiskey time, which means that I'm ready to turn up to 11. Party!

This is my whiskey trifecta of songs. My playlist has plenty of hip-hop and popular college party music,   but it's good to have a little variety as well.

Whiskey pre-game pump up:

And when the clock strikes midnight and you're feeling pretty good, belt this one out with your friends:

And this one is after you can rage no more and are ready to wind down. Learn the lyrics and sing along because when the time is right, this song cannot be beat:

My Freshmen Moment (well... one of them)

Every Friday morning I wake up to my apartment being pretty trashed and it makes me think, man, I'm gonna miss this. Now is not the time to get sentimental though, we have a whole year together and I'm determined to make it the best year ever. The last three years have been epic and I feel like this one is just taking off. Study hard, party harder. That's my motto right now. Even though I have a Friday class at 2 PM, Thursdays at 4 PM is my favorite time of the week. I get out of class and I'm like a kid in a candy store... who ate an entire shelf and has a sugar high, but well before the crash. I'll always go to my Friday class, I have to, but my weekends begin Thursday at 4.

So far this year the blogging hasn't really taken off, but it usually takes a few weeks for it to get going after breaks. I still feel like I'm settling in, so tell your friends about this blog because shit is about to get real. I'm talking the best pass out pictures (with blurred faces of course), critiques, opinions, rants and ramblings, which are usually alcohol induced.

For the first time in a long time I am taking two 400 level classes (to counter balance writing my colloquium and another high level class in my major). I must say between those two 400s there are probably a handful of seniors combined, and they're mostly people I know or have had class with before. The rest of those 400s are full of freshmen. And it makes me feel old. I know I'm only three years older than them, and I used to be in their very position, but I never realized how easy it is to pick out freshmen. There is nothing wrong with it, we were all there, in fact I still remember the first weekend my freshmen year. My roommate and I had our backpacks of Keystone Light (that right there should be enough to classify as a freshman moment) and we took off from Williamson thinking we were about to party hop and rage all night. It was raining lightly as we left. We got to Main Street and it was absolutely pouring and a car drove by, out the window one of the passengers screams "FRESHMAN!" And my roommate looked at me and said "what the fuck does that mean?" We ended up taking cover under the T-Hall entrance before realizing we were way to wet to continue and we returned to Williamson and drank in our room with some other friends. Party fail. Freshmen, you're going to do stupid things. We've all been there and it's gonna be awesome. That's the great thing about college, every night you have another chance to do something completely different. You should never be bored here because the opportunities are endless... that being said, can it just be 3 because my hangover is over and I'm ready for round 2 tonight... who am I kidding I drank Wednesday too. Round 3!

Stay classy, not UMassy.

New Career Goal

I'm a senior history major at UNH who decided that I didn't want to teach as a sophomore (although now I could get back on that wagon) and I aspire to land a writing job after college. If that means a move to New York City or out to California and live in the cheapest apartment I can find and work a shitty job to pay rent, then so be it. I'll do it. With today's economy it is getting harder for students to get jobs out of college, but I could never look myself in the mirror if I didn't give it a shot. Worst case scenario is that it delays my eventual career for a few years and I don't make any money. That may sound terrible to some of you, but personally that would be fine for me. I'm not much of a worrier.

However, today I think I found my new career path thanks to an email from my brother. It simple said "saw this on the freeway (in California) and immediately thought of you. Attached was this picture:

Why not me?!

I think I have watched every alien and UFO special the History Channel and National Geographic, or any channel for that matter, has too offer. I'm already an American History major so I understand good research and one of my life goals has always been to gain access to Area 51. I can put all my tools together and become the best alien/UFO researcher/writer/conspiracy blogger/lunatic/crazy person ever. I can see it now... 

Stay classy, not UMassy.

I Call Shenanigans!

So over the summer UNH released a new format for student email via Windows Live. It was an idea passed unanimously by the student senate and has received mixed reactions; mostly negative though. Anyways, from the first time I logged on I knew something about it was funny. I just couldn't put my finger on it though. After a few times of logging in I realized that it was the new logo for the email, the UNH Wildcat with a letter in it's mouth.

 I knew I had seen something like it before, but where?

After a while I had finally figured it out. When I first started this blog at the end of March 2009 I was scouring over every UNH blog I could find to figure out where I would fit in and what new things I could bring. One of the blogs was TNH's Newsroom Blog "MUB 156." It was there where I had seen a very similar image.

Then TNH Editor Cam (the editor who convinced me to write for them) had a post about creating a possible logo for the new business section. Here's what Cam came up with:

Identical? Not at all. Eerily similar? Slightly. One big damn conspiracy? Most definitely.

This isn't the first time a UNH department has "copied" a student blogger (cough my Paul Thompson for Hobey video), so it shouldn't come as a surprise. Is there like an intellectual property claim we can put in? Then again, this school has enough budget problems, so I'll just let it slide.

Stay classy, Not UMassy.

PS: I'm probably gonna steal Cam's design whenever I post about UNH wasting money or something. It seems to fit that well. Just gobbling it all up. Om nom nom.

The Ballard's Patio Drinking Game

Last night my roommates and I invented the Ballard's Patio drinking game. Every time a regular UNH or Durham cop drives by, it's one sip (or gulp, go big or go home!). A segway, motorcycle or bicycle is two sips (think 2 wheels = 2 drinks) and a statie, sheriff or undercover cop is three sips. If you see someone get pulled over or an accident you have to finish your drink. You can also purchase the expansion pack which is a sip when you suspect a pedestrian is a freshmen or a group of freshmen walk by. Every Domino's Delivery is also one sip.

So we were at Ballard's a while and shared the game idea with other people and they seemed to like it. It's nice because it is not actually that intense and can be done on the side because it doesn't really take full attention.

This is what happened after Ballard's:

Me:

Roommate, aka the Cabinet Kid from last year.

And yes. That really is our recycling bin...

Good to be back...

Being 21 at UNH is probably the greatest thing ever because every night of the week at least one bar has awesome drink specials. Since we've been back I've been down to the bars three times and twice I've run into my roommates from freshmen and sophomore year. It's good to see that we haven't changed. At the end of last semester, when my roommates and a few friends and I had finally turned 21, we began a little tradition of going to Beat the Clock at Ballard's every Thursday. We would try to get there right at 7 and if the weather was decent, grab a table outside. It was the perfect way to kickoff the weekend, even if a few of us still had classes on Friday. We wouldn't go in a huge group, usually it was just 4 or 5 of us (not everyone would always go) but it was our time. Some of us go way back to elementary school and others became great friends back on the fourth floor of Williamson freshmen year. It was kind of like our "guy" time before the weekend started. We could say things that wouldn't leave the table, just shoot the shit or tell funny stories the others missed out on or were too drunk to remember. It was always a blast and we looked forward to continuing that tradition this year. But last night Ballard's took that awesome hour or two away from us. Beat the Clock didn't start until 9 and we ended up at The Knot for wing's and then Libby's when their dollar drinks started around 8. I must say that Ballard's still advertises Beat the Clock at 7 on their facebook page, so we were all disappointed. While we were at Libby's we saw something that wasn't quite right. In between all the drunk students was a table of two parents and their two young children. Like these kids were probably 8 and 10 years old. Maybe. I mean there was a crowd three rows deep around the bar trying to get drinks and every other table was taken by UNH students and here's these people trying to have a family dinner. Who does that on a Thursday night at a college bar? I get that Libby's is actually a pretty decent restaurant during the day, but it was like 8:30 PM at this point. Students are  pounding their well drinks and cheap beer and being loud and obnoxious and they're just eating away. Seemed weird to me. It was still a fun time and I'm so happy to be back at school again, where it's acceptable to drink every night...

This also seems weird to me, a PBR commercial from the 60s:

I think they should run this as a commercial now:

That just seems more like the average PBR drinker to me...

Stay classy, not UMassy.