Hello all,
My name is Geoff, and I’m new to this here blog. I would like to start by thanking the New Hampshirite for inviting me to become a writer for the University of Nonsensical Happenings. I’ve been a fan of the blog for some time now, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to write for it. My hope is to entertain as many of you as possible, and to encourage you to comment and become involved in our discussions.
Since I’ve chosen to use my real name, let’s get to know each other, shall we? I’ll be a senior (oh shit!) in the fall. I’m an English/Journalism major with minors in political science and cinema studies. I’m a News Editor for The New Hampshire, which I encourage you all to read and enjoy regularly.
But I thought that instead of sharing the usual information that people give when introducing themselves, I would write you a list of unique (and hopefully interesting) facts about myself. All of the following is true:
- I hail from the small and forgettable town of Burrillville, R.I. We don’t have much, but we do have two Dunkin Donuts.
- My fifth grade teacher told my mother and me at a parent/teacher conference that he thought I should consider pursuing journalism in the future. From that moment on, I wanted to be a journalist.
- In a Little League baseball game, I fouled a ball off of my thumb. On the next pitch, I fouled the ball off of my thumb again and split it open. The result was six stitches. I’m such a badass.
- I played hockey for 10 years. When I was 13, my junior hockey team made it to the state championship to play an undefeated team. Less than ten minutes into the game, I was thrown out for (unintentionally) hitting from behind. We won 2-1. It still hurts me to think about the fact that I didn’t play a part in the win.
- Just days after my eighteenth birthday, my car was hit by a tractor trailer truck in the parking lot where I work. The driver was 70 years old. He fled the scene. My car was totaled.
- I went to a party at a random apartment my freshman year. At one point in the night, I had to urinate, but my friend was busy vomiting in the bathroom. So I went outside in a t-shirt. It was January. I got locked out. In my drunken stupor, I thought I could figure out the combination to the lock before I froze to death. So I typed 1, 2, 3, 4, and the door opened.
- Three of my biggest pet peeves are loud gum chewers, people who walk slowly and the fact that Green Day is popular.
Well, there you have it. If you feel like it, write a unique (and true) fact about yourself in the comment section. Come on, it could be fun.
Cheers,
Geoff
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Weighing My Options and Summer Thoughts
I've been doing a lot of blog related thinking and planning recently and I have realized that there are quite a few different directions to take the blog in. Over the past year I added a few other contributors and I want to know how the readers felt about that. Did you enjoy having more contributors? Of course Corey graduated so he won't be writing here, but I have been thinking of adding another writer or two. I have a few people in mind, one of whom has already expressed interest. What do you think? Have you, the readers, enjoyed having other contributors? Would readers like to see more contributors or should I fire them all? (Just kidding!)
I feel that the other writers only add to the blog since I maintained my normal blogging status. I know the decision is mine and I started this blog for my own fun, but it has become more than that. It has become more about the readers and the UNH student community. More writers does mean more work for me, more people to keep track of, but it also means more content and more variety. I am willing to take on a more managerial responsibility, on top of my writing, for the good of the blog if that is what the readers want. Seriously, what do you think? Help me, help you! Should I look into expansion, or keep the blog where it's at?
The final decision is mine, and mine alone, but I would appreciate your input.
Either way, I am very excited for the fall semester to start. I mean, how that fuck is it only July? There are so many unanswered questions I have waiting to be solved, like: Will the dining halls have salt shakers? Will dining hire a hit-man to take me out? Who will SCOPE get for a homecoming comedian and other shows? (Speaking of SCOPE, I have an entire post for/about them that will be up in another few days, so check back for that...) What will President Huddleston tweet next? Will I get reported to the conduct office again? Will people keep reading the blog? Will I finally taste a beer? (I can't even type that with a straight face.) When will the oil leak be plugged? (Dear BP, FUCK YOU!) How will our athletic teams fair? Who will step up to replace Bobby Butler? (My money is on Stevie Moses and Greg Burke.) What shenanigans will UMass and Maine get into so I can mock them?
Ah, so many questions, so many questions... I am excited and I hope you are too. Less than two more months, we can do this. Believe.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
I feel that the other writers only add to the blog since I maintained my normal blogging status. I know the decision is mine and I started this blog for my own fun, but it has become more than that. It has become more about the readers and the UNH student community. More writers does mean more work for me, more people to keep track of, but it also means more content and more variety. I am willing to take on a more managerial responsibility, on top of my writing, for the good of the blog if that is what the readers want. Seriously, what do you think? Help me, help you! Should I look into expansion, or keep the blog where it's at?
The final decision is mine, and mine alone, but I would appreciate your input.
Either way, I am very excited for the fall semester to start. I mean, how that fuck is it only July? There are so many unanswered questions I have waiting to be solved, like: Will the dining halls have salt shakers? Will dining hire a hit-man to take me out? Who will SCOPE get for a homecoming comedian and other shows? (Speaking of SCOPE, I have an entire post for/about them that will be up in another few days, so check back for that...) What will President Huddleston tweet next? Will I get reported to the conduct office again? Will people keep reading the blog? Will I finally taste a beer? (I can't even type that with a straight face.) When will the oil leak be plugged? (Dear BP, FUCK YOU!) How will our athletic teams fair? Who will step up to replace Bobby Butler? (My money is on Stevie Moses and Greg Burke.) What shenanigans will UMass and Maine get into so I can mock them?
Ah, so many questions, so many questions... I am excited and I hope you are too. Less than two more months, we can do this. Believe.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Making a Beirut table
If you are able to read through this post there is pretty big announcement at the end. So at least read that. This post is directed to those still living in dorms.
Dorm life can actually be pretty fun, but when it comes to the weekends it can be a pain in the ass. When living in dorms it is important to make the best out of your situation. I think you all know what I am talking about: getting very drunk. While a good ole' fashion dorm party can be fun, it is better to have someplace else to go. Sometimes that can be tricky, especially for underclassmen, so it is always important to be prepared for a night in the dorm. The best way to turn your dorm room into a fun place to chill (or even better for pre-gaming before you go out) is to make yourself a makeshift Beirut table. Not everyone can afford one of those collapsable tables and regular tables take up too much space.
If you live in Williamson or Christianson the cork boards on your wall can be much more useful than to hang a calender or poster or the volleyball team. All you need is a phillips head screwdriver and wahla you have a flat surface for a table top. Next you need something to stack, milk crates work well, but my freshman year (in big Willy) my roommate and I found that our plastic tubs for storage worked perfectly. Now, the table will be kind of short, so a strip of duct tape or any type of line can be used to keep the shooter from leaning to far over. (The elbow rule doesn't work on a four foot table.)
I haven't noticed the cork boards in many other dorms so without a decently sized one (that's what she said) you'll have to look in other places. You don't want something gross, but dumpster diving should never be ruled out. My current roommate and I found a perfectly good (but wobbly) TV stand next to a dumpster. (I swear it wasn't in it.) If worst comes to worst you can always head over to Home Depot and grab a new piece of plywood. Throw some paint or graffiti on it and you have a perfectly decent dorm room Beirut table.
Now for a pretty big announcement. As I said yesterday was the big one year anniversary and my original plans fell through (can't say what they were because it could be reworked for the future), but some last minute negotiations has lead to something different. You may have noticed a new writer joined the blog yesterday, Mr. Corey Nachman, who boldly chose to use his real name. Corey and I have collaborated a few times in the past (UNH Bucketlist) and he brings some nice writing and real-world experience to the blog. Corey will have his debut post up tomorrow.
We also have another writer scheduled to join the team by the weekend. She, (that's right she) was the first person to contact me about writing. She sent in a funny email with great ideas and a sample of writing and I think having a female voice on the blog could greatly expand our audience and variety. She plans on writing about once a week so these are just subtle changes that could really help improve the blog. I am still going to write the same as always so it will be like having some bonus posts.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Dorm life can actually be pretty fun, but when it comes to the weekends it can be a pain in the ass. When living in dorms it is important to make the best out of your situation. I think you all know what I am talking about: getting very drunk. While a good ole' fashion dorm party can be fun, it is better to have someplace else to go. Sometimes that can be tricky, especially for underclassmen, so it is always important to be prepared for a night in the dorm. The best way to turn your dorm room into a fun place to chill (or even better for pre-gaming before you go out) is to make yourself a makeshift Beirut table. Not everyone can afford one of those collapsable tables and regular tables take up too much space.
If you live in Williamson or Christianson the cork boards on your wall can be much more useful than to hang a calender or poster or the volleyball team. All you need is a phillips head screwdriver and wahla you have a flat surface for a table top. Next you need something to stack, milk crates work well, but my freshman year (in big Willy) my roommate and I found that our plastic tubs for storage worked perfectly. Now, the table will be kind of short, so a strip of duct tape or any type of line can be used to keep the shooter from leaning to far over. (The elbow rule doesn't work on a four foot table.)
I haven't noticed the cork boards in many other dorms so without a decently sized one (that's what she said) you'll have to look in other places. You don't want something gross, but dumpster diving should never be ruled out. My current roommate and I found a perfectly good (but wobbly) TV stand next to a dumpster. (I swear it wasn't in it.) If worst comes to worst you can always head over to Home Depot and grab a new piece of plywood. Throw some paint or graffiti on it and you have a perfectly decent dorm room Beirut table.
Now for a pretty big announcement. As I said yesterday was the big one year anniversary and my original plans fell through (can't say what they were because it could be reworked for the future), but some last minute negotiations has lead to something different. You may have noticed a new writer joined the blog yesterday, Mr. Corey Nachman, who boldly chose to use his real name. Corey and I have collaborated a few times in the past (UNH Bucketlist) and he brings some nice writing and real-world experience to the blog. Corey will have his debut post up tomorrow.
We also have another writer scheduled to join the team by the weekend. She, (that's right she) was the first person to contact me about writing. She sent in a funny email with great ideas and a sample of writing and I think having a female voice on the blog could greatly expand our audience and variety. She plans on writing about once a week so these are just subtle changes that could really help improve the blog. I am still going to write the same as always so it will be like having some bonus posts.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
Friday, January 8, 2010
200th Post: Expanding the Blog
For the 200th post of the University of Nonsensical Happenings I have some pretty big news that I am really excited about. I am currently in the process of recruiting a few more writers to join the blog. I already have one confirmation and he is an actual journalism student so you'll get to read some decent writing for a change. I have also contacted a few people but we are still in contract negotiations.
My ultimate goal is to make this blog a free-from campus super blog or "underground newspaper" that is updated daily (during the semesters) where anything goes. So if you are interested (current students only) in contributing please email me at unhblog@yahoo.com. Be prepared to tell me what type of posts you would be interested in writing and how often. If you have good ideas and are willing to submit a sample post or two there is a decent chance I will invite you to become a writer (meaning you get to make your own account and ID). You can post under your real name if you want, just be aware that this will be around forever. You don't have to write in the same style as me (meaning you don't have to write about doing stupid things, but you can if you want.) I am hoping to get about 3-4 writers, but please let me know if your are interested in just contributing once and a while. Email me if you are interested or have any ideas or questions. I really want to expand and make this blog more appealing to the entire campus.
If you are interested in contributing guests posts, without officially joining, you can email them and I will post them like a "letter to the editor." If you choose to do that include how you want me to give you credit (name, fake name, ID...)
Some quick ideas for guest columns or letters (but definitely not limited to):
Stay classy, not UMassy.
My ultimate goal is to make this blog a free-from campus super blog or "underground newspaper" that is updated daily (during the semesters) where anything goes. So if you are interested (current students only) in contributing please email me at unhblog@yahoo.com. Be prepared to tell me what type of posts you would be interested in writing and how often. If you have good ideas and are willing to submit a sample post or two there is a decent chance I will invite you to become a writer (meaning you get to make your own account and ID). You can post under your real name if you want, just be aware that this will be around forever. You don't have to write in the same style as me (meaning you don't have to write about doing stupid things, but you can if you want.) I am hoping to get about 3-4 writers, but please let me know if your are interested in just contributing once and a while. Email me if you are interested or have any ideas or questions. I really want to expand and make this blog more appealing to the entire campus.
If you are interested in contributing guests posts, without officially joining, you can email them and I will post them like a "letter to the editor." If you choose to do that include how you want me to give you credit (name, fake name, ID...)
Some quick ideas for guest columns or letters (but definitely not limited to):
- freshman/transfer student adjusting to life at UNH
- senior preparing for the real world
- athletes (life as a student athlete... that would be so awesome)
- movie/music/ reviews
- local band reviews - live music from Portsmouth/Dover/Newmarket...
- UNH event coverage
- funny/interesting stories
- sport game recaps/previews
- big party reviews (which frat really does have the best parties?)
- rants and opinions
- current newspaper writers/english/journalism students looking to write informally
- photographer for picture/photo of the week posts
- student senate updates
- connections to SCOPE
- student club/activity profiles/summaries- event recaps
- For an Alumnae: life after UNH or how UNH prepared you (was it a success?)
This could be a great way to dip into journalism or try something new and outside your major. I hope this is something that will interest a few of you and please don't be shy.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
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