The Closer

Now that summer session is over, all I can think about is the fall. How will it be different? Since there are 40,000 kids who attend Penn State, the scene is most likely going to be ten times crazier. Although summer session was definitely the time of my life, I still feel more comfortable with an extremely large student body. I always need something going on around me and the fall will satisfy my needs indeed. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and seeing my family and friends but feel as if I still belong at Penn State. I just don’t want to leave. The only thing that is helping me out with leaving the valley is that everyone is. It seems as if everyone is leaving either Wednesday or Thursday. Some kids I know left on Tuesday because they’re classes were canceled.

I’ll be living in Snyder Hall which is the furthest from everything except for beaver stadium. I’m psyched because a bunch of my friends are on the same floor as me and others are just a couple floors up. As summer session students living in the nice dorms like Simmons, we have been spoiled. Our rooms are gigantic! In East Halls, we are in for a surprise. I’ve heard the half the size of the ones we’re living in now. Football Saturdays are what I’m looking forward to the most. I was one of the lucky ones getting tickets. They sold out at 9:57 and my purchase went through at 9:55. Well, I’ve had a great summer and everyone has been great. Mark Sturges is a God and the Stur-ge-Q will take place in the fall. Good luck in the fall everyone.

awake zion

There has been a recent study of relating Jews to Rastafarians. Rasta is a religious movement that came out of Jamaica. Rastafarians, worship Haile Selassie I as their God. They also grow their hair out in dreadlocks and use marijuana for religious purposes. Although Rasta values seem like they have absolutely no relevance to Jewish culture, the two are actually very similar. Both Rastas and Jews refer to the Old Testament and follow some of the same forefathers. Truth and love are both values exhibited by both religions. Also, both speak of Zion frequently. Since they are both identifying with the same kinds of things, they can be indentifying with each other. Awake Zion is a documentary relating Rastafarians to Jews. Music created by both religions is very similar as well. Matisyahu, a Jewish reggae artist, is used as an example in the documentary in comparing the two music styles.

I being Jewish, find this fascinating. As an avid listener of reggae music, I often understand that there is some connection. One of my favorite reggae groups, Israel Vibration, is made up of two Rastas who sing about Judaism mostly. They include references to Zion and Moses splitting the sea to free his people. I feel a sense of urgency to see this documentary. I viewed a trailer on the actual Awake Zion website so I have a basic understanding of what it’s about. As a family, we were going to take a vacation this winter to Jamaica but things have changed. It has become extremely dangerous for tourists to wonder off into town. Muggings occur frequently and the drug scene is big. So now we’re going to the Dominican Republic instead. Since this is the first I’ve heard of this theory, I will definitely look into it further.

off campus housing

It's time to start deciding where you want to live as a sophomore. If you desire to live in a house or apartment, action needs to be taken extremely early. Most people I know close the deal early in the fall semester. Another option is to join a fraternity or sorority. I always thought Greek life was definitely something I wanted to be a part of but after partying in them all summer I feel somewhat differently. Don't get me wrong, the parties are great, but actually living in one of these animal houses is a horse of a different color. Breaking out in pimples would probably be the least of my worries as a member of a frat. Before you are honorably granted the right to live one of these shitholes, you have to pledge. Pledging, from what I’ve heard, consists of the most heinous, self-degrading hazing tactics imaginable. Basically pledges are the "bitches" of the fraternity for a semester. Not only is the hazing horrible, but a pledge's grades will suffer drastically. As freshmen, we just arrived at Penn State, the second biggest party school in the country, and are looking to get a solid education as well. It's one thing balancing work and fun, but how do you manage the trio- fun, work and being a “bitch.” Unless you are a genius, this might be a tough task.

After contemplating where I wanted to live, I decided a house would be the most logical out of the three. I’m not really an apartment kind of guy, so it was either frat or house. A frat would impair my health simply because they are not taken care of and seem like they’re strictly party spots. Although a house seems like the wisest decision, I have to make sure I love the guys I’m living with. These are aspects of off campus living I’ll be thinking about going into the fall semester. I’m looking forward to it.

The Penn State Bubble

I don't know if I'm alone in saying this but I truly have no idea what's going on in the world. I used to watch the news and read the paper every day. Current events were a love of mine and I used to have elaborate conversations with my Dad frequently. I felt as if I really had a solid grasp on what was happening around me. Throughout my stay at PSU, I’ve found myself utterly disconnected from the rest of the world. New music is non-existent and for all I know, Osama could already be in custody. Television has been completely phased out of my everyday life. Never would I have thought I could survive without one. The rationale behind this phenomenon is simple. Penn State is its own little bubble. Everything we need is within our grasp here in the Valley. There’s no need to venture off. If one really desires their current events, the hub will useful. Headline news is constantly running and newspapers are always available. Although acquiring knowledge on the world outside Penn State is possible and effortless, I never have. To be honest, I love being trapped in the PSU bubble. I don’t even want to know what’s going on because it may interfere with what a great time I’m having. The real world is not something I need to be focused on right now. I don’t need to know how my stocks are doing or what Lindsay Lohan is snorting. All that is necessary is learning my way around campus and becoming familiar with my new world because as of now, PSU is all that matters, and I love it.

Freshman 15, Myth or Fact?

When I started hearing about the notorious freshman 15, I immediately dismissed it from my worry list heading into college. There was no way I could gain the extra baggage. I'm just too disciplined. I said to myself, I'll eat salads and work out all the time. I mean, realistically, the only way one could possibly put on pounds, is by eating pure crap everyday and drinking excessively. As hard as I've tried to stay away from the 2200 calorie hoagies, I can just never seem to resist. They are just so damn satisfying. You take one bite out of a "fat bitch" from Are You Hungry and you are in heaven. Canyon pizza is a obligation every weekend night as well. From the hours of 11-3am, beaver ave. is jam-packed with kids craving the stuff. The truth of the matter is that healthy food does not taste good and being in college, we have all the fatty meals within walking distance. I personally, have been eating at Canyon every Friday and Saturday night on weekdays hoagies are the only way to go. It’s so tempting to take five minutes out of my busy day to grab a sub at McLanahans for a couple bucks or get a cheese steak at the mix at Pollack commons. They accept meal points too.

This whole time, I’ve been in denial about gaining any weight whatsoever here at Penn State but I think I’ve come to accept that I most definitely have. I came out of denial when my parents came to visit. I asked my mom “have I gotten fat or what?” Of course she gave me the old “of course not Kev, I think you actually got taller.” Then immediately after, my Dad looked at me and said “well, you’ve definitely filled out.” Thanks Dad. So have you?

Ok, so I’ve put on some pounds. Who really cares? I think everyone should gain 15 pounds so that it’s all equal again. I’m actually going to go get a fat bitch now.

Good Times

Growing up, my parents decided to neglect the whole take your kids to Disney world craze. It seemed to me that all of my friends would take family trips to Florida to see the wonderful world of Disney. Well, screw that. I would spend my time snorkeling and swimming in the lagoons in the Bahamas. My most cherished memoires are in Nassau, sitting on the beach with my mom and dad, ordering cokes from the tiki bar up near the pool. The lady would come and hand us a menu from the grill and we would take our time looking it over. I would always order the same thing, grilled cheese and a coke. It was then I became aware that soda actually contained calories. I remember asking my mother, "How can there be calories in a drink? It's a liquid."

After lunch, my dad and I would go and snorkel in the ocean. The water, as clear as glass, warmed my soul. Barracuda surrounded us as we swam. I once saw a Bahamian dollar floating a few feet down and extended my arms to the fullest but couldn't grasp it. My Dad then snatched it and I looked and him laughing. The water slides at Radisson Cable beach were extraordinary. I can recall flying down the warm plastic and plummeting into the pool water. What a time that was.

Deep sea fishing was a shared love for me and my father. We would drive to the local harbor and pay for a crew to take us out. Bahamians are probably some of the nicest people I’ve ever been around and memories of conversing and joking around with them as we made our way out to see clout my mind. One time, I caught seven Barracuda and my Dad caught a few hammer jacks I think they were called. Good times indeed.

For some reason we took a break from paradise to tour England and then Ireland which were phenomenal, but do not match up to Nassau. Freshman summer we returned to the Bahamas with one of my friends and it brought back so many memories.

During winter break this year, we will be traveling to the Dominican which will probably be comparable to Nassau. I cannot wait.

Harry who?

With the recent release of the new Harry Potter move (I’m not going to look up the name because I could care less) there's definitely been a certain buzz on campus. Why is everyone so infatuated with a four eyed teen who rides around his little wizard school on a broom? Is he running late for class or what? I mean, I guess his lightning bolt tat is pretty cool? I remember walking into the theatre for the premiere of the sorcerer’s stone, and then walking in the opposite direction as soon as I saw hundreds of people dressed up as the freaks of nature depicted in the film. Harry Pothead has just always bugged me out and I can't get over everyone's obsession. If you're into the series types of movies, get into star wars, die hard, the godfather even scream. My niece is a big harry potter fan, she's 6. But should college students be fans? C'mon guys be real. If you want to see some people flying around on broomsticks I'd suggest Wizard of OZ or Hocus Pocus. Those just never get old. Who doesn't love the tin man? I have to say though; my Dad is a huge Potter fan. Whenever the books come out he sits on the couch and knocks em down. He doesn't stop to breathe just keeps reading about weirdos. The series just seems so childish to me. In the next book, I want to see Lord Voldermort take over Hogwarts. They should make him the Don over there. There'd be no more misbehaving and no more using magic in the goddamn classroom. That's against the wizard law and just because you a cool tattoo doesn't justify deviance. Lord Voldermort would show these little brats whose boss and excel their academic careers so they will get accepted to Penn State. Harry needs to take a sabbatical until everyone is saying Harry who?