Poor Emily

I am starting this blog off in tribute to my poor friend who has been awake for over 36 hours now.

Dearest Emily,

First of all, get some sleep. Second, stop being so brilliant (she's a morehead scholar) and trying to dominate the world. Save some dominating for the rest of us. She spent the weekend in washington D.C. at a conference to discuss environmental issues and how the United States should act upon them. Kewl. Then, she return to UNC this morning at 2 am only to write a paper in under three hours, which I edited and let's just say there weren't too many red marks to make on it. Then, she went to 4 classes today (she's taking 18 hours) where she received an A on one paper and took a poli sci exam. Which will probably be an A as well. Darn superhuman. As I stare at her dropping eyelids across the library table, I can't help but feel sorry for her yet not at the same time. I guess I could say it's her fault for taking up so many activities at once, but you can't blame someone for wanting to be involved. She's definitely not complaining and is extremely happy, despite the dark circles under her eyes that are slowly spreading to her cheekbones. Never before have I been so excited for a break. Easter weekend will be a refreshing pause before final exams. Did I mention Emily is also an AWESOME person. She is an admissions ambassador, and I'm pretty sure only awesome people get picked to do the tours. If you are incapable of communicating properly, then the school probably doesn't want you as the face of the school for all of the potential candidates. Speaking of potential candidates, two friends in high school are coming to visit thursday aaaaand I don't know how to entertain them. First, nobody will be here because everyone is peacing out to go home and second, I just want to watch tv for 4 hours on thursday evening. I don't want to try to show how cool unc is to them. I want them to enjoy themselves, but I might have to just tell them it's a slow night and hope they accept that. I don't know what they expect anyways. Raging frat party? Happening franklin street? Late-night frisbee in the quad? Oh well. I'm sure dearest Emily will be sleeping on thursday night to recover from her super human week. So impressive.

Revolutionary

I was going to write about how I wish I could invent or create something revolutionary. I feel so talentless at unc. Everyone is amazing at something, gifted in the arts or athletics. I feel pretty subpar here. But that's depressing so i'll blog about something else. :)

Mini-rant: STUPID POLLEN. I have never in my ENTIRE life gotten allergies before. I don't know what the deal is this spring, but I feel like flowers are spewing germs into my face. At least that's how my nose and throat seem to react. I even have HIVES. My hand is covered in embarrassing swollen red blotches thanks to lovely mother nature. I looove being outside but this season I've been more inclined to lock myself in my room to shut out the invading pollen. I left my bike outside for roughly an hour and when I returned it was coated in a light green covering. I think this is how war of the worlds begins....

Positive-rant: UNC ROX! But really, despite my inability to breathe from my nose hasn't prevented me from appreciating the beauty of spring at chapel hill. I love walking through polk place and seeing every type of person posted up on the green, just enjoying the sun. I have a feeling studying for finals is going to be one big struggle. Part of me wishes the temperature would drop and the sun would get trapped behind a giant cloud for all of finals week. Less enticing to go outside. If anyone wants to join me in a picnic/bike ride next weekend I'm available for takers. Another reason unc rox is all of the people. I personally believe unc is incredibly diverse. Just sitting in the pit for 10 minutes I get to see every type of person. Tall, short, blonde, african american, straight. Love it!

Sorry for being in a really good mood...I don't usually eject such positivity. It is friday after all. You can't argue with the appreciation for friday. That reminds me, according to my shopping cart I won't be taking any friday classes next semester! woooo. Having a 4 day week is a miracle to me. I have heard stories of some people with just tuesday thursday classes too. A 2 day week!??! mindblowing. Unfortunately, I do have an 8 am. I've never had one before and I'm going to admit I am NOT looking forward to it. However, it's the ONLY time busi 101 is offered, I'll have to suck it up I suppose.

The Very Worst

The feeling hits everyone at a different time. Some first felt contempt for this man in 2008, when his Memphis crew led by Derrick Rose and the most talented college basketball team in a decade somehow squandered the National Championship to a Kansas squad whose players currently ride someone’s bench in the NBA. Others began to lash out after the questionable recruitment of superteen John Wall from the Raleigh area before his first season at Kentucky, and Wall’s subsequent, prompt exit from the team for the NBA after one season, fattening this man’s already swollen list of didn’t-even-come-close-to-graduating “student-athletes” on his basketball teams. You certainly lost some respect for him after it was determined that his 1996 UMASS team (that’s right, UMASS, that school that you thought had not been relevant since the Revolutionary War) and his 2008 Memphis squad would be forced to vacate their remarkable NCAA Tournament success in light of investigations that revealed a hodgepodge of player “gifts” and bogus SAT scores. Even if the aforementioned shenanigans failed to dissuade the casual observer from harboring even the slightest amount of respect for University of Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari, it goes without saying that, following this past Sunday’s historic Elite Eight matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, every level-headed American would agree that John Calipari is the sleaziest coach in the United States. Surely you felt it when CBS inexplicably elected to bypass footage of the priceless, warming goofiness of John Henson or the classiness of a Roy Williams wardrobe in favor of showing Calipari, whose greasy glare and slicked-backed hair make Sonny and Michael Corleone look like the patron saints of a non-profit organization. Granted, many will now say, “Gee, he can’t be worse than Krzyzewski, can he?” Well, a closer look indicates otherwise. Krzyzewski actually can claim a few admirable qualities. First, he is loyal. He has sacrificed the sheer anticlimax that is living in Durham to remain the coach of Duke University for, basically, his entire career, even turning down stratospheric contract offers from the Los Angeles Lakers. He also encourages his players to stay all four years and graduate, a strategy that essentially benefits all parties involved except the North Carolina Tar Heels and their supporters. Calipari, the itinerant Mafia coach, is characterized by neither of those attributes, and come next week, watch and marvel at the exodus of nineteen and twenty year olds from his “program,” bound for the NBA, where at least the money that they will be paid is wholly legal.

dis right here is my swag

From time to time I volunteer at the local homeless shelter. It's a pretty sweet gig. I hang out with the kids on the playground and eat some snacks with the parents. Not a huge time commitment, but totally worth it at the end of the day. So the last time I was hanging out at the shelter, I was playing some ball with one of the coolest kids there (or so the other kids tell me) and we were playing a sick game of knockout. Obviously I was losing because let's face it, I'm pretty awful at all hand-eye coordination sports, but I've learned to live with it so don't worry. But the kid I was playing with was clearly dominating the game. And all of the sudden, out of the blew, he breaks out into song. This kid is the definition of thug in the best way possible. He wears his pants down low, his hat off to the side, and his shoes untied (the cool kind of untied though). So you're probably wondering what on earth he's singing about in the middle of knockout. My question exactly. Instead of "This Right Here Is My Swag" he belts out "This Right Here Is My Knowledge". I let him finish the song because he's killin it, but when he's done I start pestering him with questions. Obviously he's super freaked out because I hardly know him and he clearly thought I wasn't listening. The song was to the tune of "Swag" but with an intellectual twist. For a 10 year old, I thought this was pretty awesome. But as soon as I bring it up he blushes and pretends like he never sang it in the first place. Oops. I guess people don't like to sing to strangers in public at such a young age. Either way, I was pumped that he remixed the song about stuff he was learning in school. I can hardly write an acrostic poem when forced. I didn't pester him much more because he wasn't feeling it. We kept playing and acted like it never happened. Thought this was a pretty cool experience. Whatever it was I was digging it.

J. Biebz

Justin Bieber, the international 17-year-old teen pop-star phenomenon, has experienced an unprecedented amount of worldwide fame and success over the past year. His career is a perfect example of how social media has proven to be a major vehicle of globalization over the past decade. As the world continues to become more interconnected and geographic distances continue shrinking due to our growing use and dependency on the internet, social media and entertainment sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are thriving.  Justin Bieber comes from a small town in Canada where he entered a singing competition and his mother uploaded videos of his performances on YouTube to share them with family members who lived in other cities. Scooter Braun, a young rising record executive in Atlanta, was searching the web one day to look for interesting videos on YouTube and he came across a video of Justin that had reached a couple thousand views. After hearing the angelically pure voice of this fourteen year old boy, Braun knew he had to get a hold of this undiscovered raw talent. He hounded the family via contacting Justin's school, family members, friends, and even local government officials until Justin's mother agreed to come down to Atlanta on an all expense paid trip to explore Justin's potential future in the music business. Justin recorded a few songs in the studio, met some record executives and producers, signed with Def Jam Records, and the rest is history. Topping the charts of iTunes downloads and making appearances on the front cover of  the most popular magazines every week, Justin has gotten a taste of what it feels like to be on top. With the recent wrapping up of his worldwide My World tour, the premier of his MTV film "Never Say Never", and a rapidly growing fan base following him on Twitter, Facebook, and of course, YouTube, Justin shows no signs of stopping. He has collaborated with music sensations such as rapper Ludacris, Sean Kingston, and most recently with Rascal Flatts in his song "That Should Be Me." While he is the teen heartthrob that has captured the hearts of people spanning from all nationalities, ages, and musical tastes, Justin still acknowledges and respects his roots. He knows that he would not be where he is without the support of his fans, who feel as though they were the very ones who discovered him on their home computers on YouTube a couple of years ago. His humility, irresistible charm, incredible musical talents, and of course that gorgeous head of hair has caused the multitudes to experience an epidemic that can only be described as "Bieber fever" and it seems as though there's only more "Beliebers"to come in the future.

Spring Break...what else?

Obviously spring break is coming up and I almost can't contain myself. The thought of having well no thoughts is incredibly exciting. I can literally stare at a wall for hours thinking of nothing, doing nothing, and feel completely unashamed. There won't be any tests, papers, or other various college issues to deal with. Fortunately, I won't do that. But the fact that I have that option is great. Since you are all clearly extremely interested in how I'll be passing these lovely ten days of glory, I'll tell you. First, this afternoon, at roughly 4:15 I'll be shuttled to the pisgah national forest in the north carolina mountains to embark on a staff backpacking trip. I'm looking forward to being completely cut off from society, no phone, no facebook, none of that nonsense. It's only for four days however, I return monday evening only to drive to my hometown, Charlotte. Queen city :) My stay will be short lived as I head to Flo Rida the following tuesday morning. Then it's rest and relaxation to my hearts content. There are always classic beach activities I enjoy doing with the family. We always put up a puzzle to entertain ourselves when the sun gets too overwhelming and we need an excuse to be indoors. Fishing with this massive net, even though I don't enjoy seafood it's still fun to fish! Ah the childhood memories.

Speaking of childhood memories, I know everyone has those random sentimental smells or games that bring them straight back to the glory days. My childhood can be summed up in a few words. Candyland and The Fox and the Hound. Favorite board game and favorite movie. At least when I was little. Apparently I watched the fox and the hound 8 times in one day. My movie addiction started early. Some things never change, I can watch the same movie over and over again like it's my job. I watched Slumdog Millionaire every night for a week and Shakespeare in Love I could literally watch on repeat continuously. There are some movies that just never get old for me. I'm a sucker, I gotta say. Amongst my other favorite movies are 127 hours and the diving bell and the butterfly. Haven't seen those quite as many times, but I would never turn down an opportunity to watch them. I'm afraid this blog has been pretty self-centered. Sorry for chatting about myself and only myself. I'll be more engaging next time.

The Great Debate

I think it's time we brought everything out into the open. The elephant in the room, at topic that actually most people discuss but nobody ever steps up to the plate and confronts the issue. North campus vs. South campus. What's the deal? When I visited last year, checking out the campus and whatnot, I stayed with a girl living in granville one night and I stayed with a girl who lived in Eringhaus the other. Polar opposites I must say. North and South are extremely different feels. Maybe that's where the tension comes from? Who knows. Anyways, my friend who lived in granville hardly even knew how to direct me to the Pit...and my friend who lived on south campus complained incessantly about the snobs on north. That one weekend and my initial exposure to UNC was just the beginning. I live on south campus, but most of my friends live on north campus, so I'd like to say I get a vibe from both. Many of the people who live on my hall make snide remarks about those in granville who are basically "living in a hotel," or don't ever leave their "granville bubble." While when I visit my friends who are supposedly living in luxury, they constantly make jokes that I live on another galaxy, 13542352 miles away. A dorm is just a dorm. Why must we stereotype so harshly? Part of me says yes, those on north don't usually venture to south campus and when they do it's like touring the zoo. Part of me says yes, those on south can get over themselves and stop complaining about north campus and how "nice it is" we could live there too if we wanted. Can't we all just meet in polk place and hold hands? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks there is such tension, but I'm pretty sure it exists. Coming from a small private school with the majority of those living in granville, most familiar with my school assume I live there too and insta-judge me. I often get a little eyebrow raise when I tell them I call Craige my home. Let's just move on and call it a day.

Ps. I hope I didn't offend anybody. Like I said, a dorm is just a dorm. Soon we will all just be living in apartments and houses and there won't be any feud between the north and south poles.