Blogging at Starbucks... Pretty Original

Yep the title says it all. I'm sitting at a Starbucks here in Goleta and I'm blogging. This is how globalization has spread around the globe and I'm happy to be apart of it. Haha.

THis won't be a long post, since I have church in just a few minutes, but I feel the need to do so since I haven't for the past couple weeks.

This is for two reasons:

A) Midterms... yep I had two of them this week. One for Sociology and the other for World History... and I have a sneaking suspicion I didn't do too well on either one of them. But I'll hope for the best, that's all I can do.

B) Halloween... Though it's not until Wednesday, Halloween started in Isla Vista on Thursday and goes til Halloween night. So my res hall has been just nuts this weekend with people going down to IV and getting drunk and smashed in a sea of people. I went with my floormates on Friday, and it was definitely exhausting. I was one of three people in the group who did not drink, and I took on the responsibility of keeping the group together and from doing anything too stupid. It was fun seeing all the ridiculous costumes and people acting like complete idiots, but it was sad at the same time cause that's what it takes for people to have fun these days. Boy oh boy.

Okay, well I'm gonna run so I can pray it up for all the partiers that maybe they'll take a hint and get smart.

Adios for now

Two in a Row!

Well I'm proud to say that I have now blogged two days in a row. I think I'm wanting to blog more so I can avoid homework as much as possible. But maybe not. ;)

Every week I'm here seems to be getting better and better and equally interesting at the same time. There are so many different people here, it is truly remarkable. This "big college" experience is full of diversity, which isn't all that bad once you get used to it. Day by day, I have been getting a little more accustomed to seeing people with dreadlocks (including ladies) and the different lifestyles that people lead.

Anyway, enough sociological stuff for now.

As of now I am considered "undeclared" for my major, but I'm leaning more and more towards Communication with every lecture for that class. It is truly fascinating stuff. THings that have been floating around in my head are coming into focus in this class because it's remarkable how many things are going on when we communicate. To communicate effectively, a "sender" needs to be clear in his verbal message and his nonverbal message (such as tone, posture, or gestures) will affect how the "receiver" interprets the information. The sender, even while speaking, can gauge the feedback from the receiver by observing his or her nonverbal communication (i.e. eye contact, nodding, body language). Crazy isn't it? We take it all for granted too.

So if I do major in this field, I'll have to go to graduate school for a degree in broadcast journalism if that's what I want to pursue. At this rate, teaching communication would be pretty interesting too, but that's a long ways off.

Later on today, after lots of intimate time spent with my homework (gag) I'm going with one of the girls on my floor to take pictures of the sunset. I'm so excited! She went out yesterday and came back with absolutely gorgeous pics so I'm stoked to take some too. I'll have to figure out how to man the photo uploader thingy, but I'm on the scholar's floor of my building so I'll figure it out. Haha.

Well I guess I'll go for now, I've wasted enough time rambling on random things, but hopefully it kept you entertained at least for a little bit of time. Keep an eye out for those pics though, they'll knock your socks off (or sandals if you're not wearing any) for how beautiful UCSB is!!

Go, go, go...

These weeks in college have been going by so so so fast, its been unreal. It seems the free time that I do have is filled with me eating meal after meal in the dining commons. No wonder why the freshman fifteen is becoming a problem!

I also have been sick for the past week so I haven't been able to run for awhile, which has been frustrating. On the other hand, I am truly relishing the social life here. I've grown really close to the people on my floor and have even been dubbed "The Papa Bear" because I have the look of a natural father figure to the floor. Haha.

But God has placed me in a unique position, because some of my floormates have come to me for advice on more than one occasion, so it has been great listening to what people have to say and helping them out.

I still can't believe I have another 8 months here, it's going to be great.

Of course the only downside is the mounds and mounds of homework that has been tossed my way. In a typical night, I'll have upswing of fifty pages to read, which has definitely been a struggle adapting to that sort of work load. Oh well, hopefully by the end of this quarter I'll be firm on this whole college thing with straight A's and lots and lots of sleep. We'll see about that last one. Haha.

Okay, well I better do some work, I've got a discussion in an hour for my religious studies class. Fun fun.

Peace for now.

Oops... It's been awhile!

Well I certainly haven’t been in the blogging mode these past couple weeks… which is on account of lots of stuff happening.

First things first… I LOVE SANTA BARBARA!!! The thoughts and doubts from my first night are long gone, as my entire floor has bonded in the most unique way. We have floor dinners where over half the floor (about 30 people) will show up and just have a good time in the dining commons. I love it.

And the soccer is amazing!!!! I have the privilege to watch the 2006 NCAA Div. I champions on a week-to-week basis. I’ve watched two of their games now and I’ve even had the opportunity to watch them practice. Last Wednesday the game was on national television and my parents told me they saw me on the tele!! So that was exciting. And I love being with soccer fans who chant the funniest things during the game. It’s entertaining stuff.

Also on another happy note, my roommate moved out!! He moved out on Saturday and that was almost the happiest day of my life, that guy was a bad apple and had plenty of illegal substances hidden in the room that I didn’t know about until Friday night. All I can say is I’m glad I don’t have to put up with that anymore.

So, the first weekend only a few people on the floor went out and partied, so I had some friends to hang out with back in our residence hall. However, this last weekend just about everyone headed out to Isla Vista (IV for short, which is right across campus). On Saturday I decided to venture with about fifteen of my floormates to see what all the whoopla was about. Everyone one of them had something to drink, though only a handful got drunk. I had nothing to drink, danced with a cute girl (I even got her number. Hehe), and had a terrific time.

Yesterday (Sunday) people on my floor were talking that I won that round in IV because I didn’t need any additives to have a great night. So I’m hoping to use this as a form of ministry to them that one can have a great time without the influence of alcohol.

So we’ll see how it all pans out. In all, I’m truly happy to have come to SB!!

The only downside is all the homework... but the beach is right next to my res hall and yesterday a pod of dolphins swam by!! So I guess I'll enjoy myself here... maybe.

A Day of First Impressions

Well my first day of college is in the books. And what an interesting day it was.

My day couldn't have started off any more inspiring, I went to church at my new home and had a SUPERB service! The worship was on par as the best I had ever been apart of, and I am going to have that privledge week after week after week. So that is certainly a huge plus. The college group leaders came over and talked to me and they seemed really nice and sincere, so I'm gonna love it I think.

Then afterward we began the move-in process... which lasted from about 1:00 to almost 5:00. Blah. My roommate had the poorest of first impressions that I've ever had with anybody... greatttt. He comandeered the desk and bed that were right by the window and pouted when my dad and I suggested that some changes needed to be made. Talk about immature.

After saying goodbyes, it truly hit me that I'm on my own and its up to me to make things roll my direction. Boy oh boy I have no idea how hard this is gonna be. I'm going to need to relay on God more now then ever before. I'm here to learn and get my degree, not to make shallow friends. Shallow friends being those who will only hang with me if I share a shot with them. So, it going to be very rough taking the high road and at this point I hope I can last.

Oh, and my first priceless "freshman" moment happened today... I left my room to brush my teeth and discovered I left without my friggin keys. So I had the embarassment of walking down to the lobby to retrieve a spare set. I only get three of these per quarter, and I've wasted my first on my first night.

Well I'm going to go to bed, I'm lonely in my dorm room, my roommate is off somewhere and I'm sure he's charming the room wherever he is.

Good night from the rockin confines of San Nic Res hall.

Last Cup of Coffee

Well, the day has arrived... I'm leaving for SB. I'm enjoying my last cup of coffee in my favorite coffee cup for awhile. If you were wondering I have a coffee cup with the "Scribbles" logo on it, a restaurant down in El Centro that my dad designed the logo for. My room is all clean and cleared out, and it feels really nice. I cant wait to come back to SD already, but Thanksgiving isn't too far off.

So in about 90 minutes, we'll have started our two-car caravan up the coast. Of course we'll be dealing with rain, so that will make the trip all the more...interesting. I hope we'll make it up okay, as I'm sure we will. God will be watching over us the whole trip.

I'm a little nervous to say the least, after we get up there I have an interview with a Fraternity, SigEp, and hopefully I'll win the scholarship they have to offer. Though I have no clue what the amount is, and I'm not planning on asking either... seems to be a classless thing to do. I'm not planning on rushing this year, but maybe next year after I have awhile to feel things out

Well I'll keep this short and sweet for now. But you can expect my next blog to come from the new place of endless opportunity and unbelievable adventure... The University of California, Santa Barbara.

Farewell for now and stay dry!

Dealing with Insecurities

So late last night (saturday night) I was awake. Big shocker, I know. And I was praying out to God because I have been so unbelievably insecure these past few days. Like big time.

I've waited the entire summer (which has been quite a loooooonnnnggg one) to head to SB and now it is less than a week away. I do not feel ready emotionally or physically... even literally as there are still some lingering items I need to purchase. So the past few days, I have been trudging in a gloom of downright despair because I feel so insecure in myself and my ability to make a difference at SB.

In an "ideal" frame of mind, I would launch an assault for straight A's in the classroom, working to pay off the ridiculous fees of college, actively immersing myself in a few interesting clubs, pursuing different intramural activities, and taking a vehement stance against partying. That is quite a list, and I know it's downright impossible.

So last night, I was crying out to God because one lingering insecurity has left the rest of me in self-made bonds: what in the world has God called me to do? I have no idea, the list above are ideals I would like to pursue, but who knows what I'll be able to accomplish.

I went to bed unsatisified. God didn't appear out of a burning bush in my room to tell me what His plans are for me. I didn't feel anything from him on any level whatsoever. I felt alone and... insecure. But as His way goes, our teachin pastor at Journey, Ed, based his message on this very topic in relation to Moses. And boy oh boy did that shake me a good one.

Ed made some great points and identified five "movements" that we could make in an effort to discover and pursue our calling. He made references to God's calling of Moses while he endured 40 years in the desert.

1. Turning Aside (Exodus 3:3) -- Moses sees the burning bush in the desert and deliberately turns towards God and asks the question: How can it not be God? Not, how can it be God? There is a difference in the two questions, and by asking the first, we are in fact affirming God.

2. Moses was Called By God, To God, For God. (Exodus 3:5-8) God knew for eons of years that he would use Moses to take his chosen people into "a land flowing with milk and honey." Moses had no idea that day would forever change his life, and because he turned aside, we know the story.

3. Working throught the "Why Nots" (Exodus 3:10-12 & 14) -- This perturbing fact of my life that I had been dealing with the night before, surfaced in the middle of Ed's message. How awesome God is! When Moses is having doubts about the rebuking attitude he surely would face, God simply told him "certainly I will be with you." This was the most stirring moment of the morning for me, because I realize Jesus faced the same ridicule from people everywhere he went, even though he was producing the most magnificent miracles this world had ever seen. So in my life, I am going to have to somehow get tuned in to God and know He is with me. I still don't know what my calling is at SB, but whatever it is, God will be with me... every single step of the way. That thought in itself certainly helps eliminate my insecurities.

Ed identified two more steps, but in order for me to coherently be aware of what I'm talking about, I'm going to have to call it a night. Hopefully I can finish this in the morning.

Jade out.

All Fired Up...

In the last twenty-four hours or so reality has struck like a stray bolt of lightning... I'll be in SB real soon. 11 days from now. And last week I received a special issue of our campus newspaper, The Daily Nexus (which is a pretty cool name I think), the contents of which were pretty darn close to explicit. In the "Opinion" Colunms of the newspaper, the glorious "F" word is used a couple times, which in my "opinion" is a really crappy way to introduce people to your university.

After reading some of the articles, I literally almost started panicking. This of course did not happen cause we were on our way up to Disneyland, which afterall is the Happiest Place on Earth. So I have been able to stew over this the last two days and right now I'm ready to tackle someone. I know colleges all around function similar to this, anywhere can have a party scene. In my opinion people are just getting carried away and showing their foolishness. Maybe people that got into both Berkeley and SB chose Berkeley because if they'd be partying it would with "smarter" people.

In my mind, why would somebody get so drunk that they cannot remember what they did the night before? In one of the articles I read they said it would be great idea to get totally hammered and find a hot date for the night. After that one night, they recommend just to say hi to the hot date and to not think anything of committment... which seems so immoral and pointless (I'm being very euphemistic in depicting the article by the way). It's a frame of mind that I'll be in contact with everyday. I'm sure people will be tempting me with all sorts of things, but that is not how my parents raised me and, frankly, I don't want to be like that.

Taking the "High" road is what Christianity is all about, to me. It would be easier to go parties and be immoral than to be real with people and have a good time without any additves. I have never taken the easy way through anything... heck I've dated totally complicated girls when I surely could have had a more easy-going relationship.

So I have had a few revelations about this whole new playing field:

A) Obviously, I can't side-step the issue of partying. People have asked me if I could join them to party in the past, but it was never as realistic as it is now. I am going to be truly tested, and I am going to need my faith with me at all times to weather this test. I am not going to get totally hammered to gain acceptance from others. I have never acted like that, and I don't plan to.

B) This is a trivial situation. Really it is. There are so many more difficult things that lie in store for me in my future. If I can accomplish this whole not-partying thing, it will be such a boost in morale to overcome my next 'impossible' hurdle. I will be coming in contact where people have drank, smoked, and 'been around.' I havent come close to experiencing any of that on any level whatsoever, so to some people my morals will not be as important to them.

C) So, above all else I need to keep my head above water and to not sink into the blackhole of lust and temptation. I use the term blackhole because it is in my belief, once you join in, its beyond hard to get out. That is why so many people do what they do, they don't see a reason to stop now since they've done it before and now its expected of them. It's sad. And I have seen it with my own eyes, I wish it didn't have to be like this.

D) Prolly the most important point and the one I thought of before starting this blog tonight. My trump card of reality. Ready? Cause I'm not sure if I'm ready to write it down as thoughts are whirling in my head (Oh by the way I get my haircut this Wednesday. Haha). Okay before my dumb late-night humor ruins the moment. Jesus. Hope you didn't miss it, but Jesus is my trump card of trump cards. Our God-man beared all the sins of the world on his shoulders and he did not crack. He was tempted by Satan, and he did not crack. He listened to his Father's voice and surrendered himself to His will... and he did not crack.

Jesus is the key and I need him as my Rock, my Sword, and my Shield to keep my pure in my pursuits to succeed at SB. He was able to deal with so, so much through his faith in his heavenly father and if I can show just a smidgen of the same faith, I think I'll be happy with the end result.

Well I may be on to something, I dunno. I guess we'll find out won't we. Well another day is coming and going and I need to sleep sleep sleep. I'm getting up early tomorrow too, hopefully.

Hasta luego for now

How Fortuitis Am I?

Well it has been so long since i last blogged I had to tinker around to remember my password to log in here. But luckily with my smarts I remembered it and a calamity was avoided.

So in the last week I learned the identity of my future roommate and I had the opportunity to talk to him yesterday. In terms of a typical roommate (not that I can identify what a 'typical' roommate is) he sounds below average. Which, in a number of ways, is a miracle. He seemed shy and really nice, which is the best I could have hoped for. I don't think he seems the type to get wasted at any given opportunity so that works unbelievably well for me. I'm looking forward to it, I can't believe its only a mere two weeks away. It almost seems unreal. Almost.

For today's blog I'm gonna . Life itself is brutal. Over half the planet lives in poverish conditions to our own, and for most of us, we don't even bat an eye at its existence. I, too, am at fault as well... I could care less at times that other people go home to a shack where food is a luxury. Every night. I have developed the "me, me, me," mentality and it is very selfish but I sleep well at night cause it doesn't directly affect me on any personal level. It's funny how I can complain about minute things (aka not enough 'good' food in the fridge) whereas so many others would scoff at that opportunity.

I don't know how or why I deserve to live in this country, it truly is luck of the draw. A lifetime stroke of good fortune. Wow.

Digging into the deep so far has consisted of me ranting and raving about different things that I have been stewing on lately but I probably will have more "entertaining" things to say once I begin my college experience. I really see this place as a way to let off excess steam and hopefully I'll use this as a tool to express myself.

Time will measure how useful this will be to me. I best be getting back to cleaning my room. Blah.

Another blog tomorrow? We'll See!

Letting Go and Digging Deep

Lately, I've been struggling with some issues in my life, especially things from my past. As I'm preparing to leave for college, I'm hoping to get over these hurdles, which have been compounded with an old relationship that I used to have.

Last night as I kept tossing and turning to fall asleep, I asked God for me to let it go. Those three simple words are the most crucial part of enjoying happy times for me, yet it seems as the most impossible of tasks for me to complete. I'm hoping with lots of prayer, i'll be able to let things go with ease and my life will not be consumed with unecessary situations.

There's a song by the Casting Crowns that leaves a stirring emotion that screams in my soul: Set Me Free. I feel I hold myself in bondage more than anything else: I put tons of pressure on myself to do well at anything that I pursue. More often than not, I find myself not living up to my expectations and that brings me down faster than a tub of lard going overboard during a storm in the ocean.

Through the course of the song, the speaker (i.e. me in my life) screams out that there have been brighter days before "the dark ones came, stole my mind, wrapped my soul in chains." I let 'dark ones' in my life each an every day. For too long I have let little things add up in my life to leave me unexpectedly unloading on someone who doesn't deserve it. In the song, as the speaker sounds utterly hopeless, "a man" comes toward him and the "dark ones" shriek and scream his name.

Of course that man is Jesus and he inititates the contact. As the speaker shouts "set me free of the chains holding me," the God-Man passes by and asks one simple phrase that I wish for all of the world that he would ask me: "do you want to be free."

Throughout the Bible, there are many instances when people beg to be healed by Jesus. By just touching the hem of his garment, one lady is healed. I need to pursue an active relationship with Him, I know He's waiting for me to let Him in. I have so many fortifications built up over the years that I've tried desperately to make myself self-reliant. I have a sense of severe shame when I let somebody else down or I don't do a job right. I work very hard to keep away from this, and this alone acts as a motivation for me to succeed. Right now I'm questioning if that is the right motivation.

Why be successful? How are successful people motivated? Money? Greed? Fame? I don't know. I am putting so much pressure on myself to be successful, but I don't know why I'm doing it. More than anything else, I want to honor my best blessing in life, my parents. I feel by succeeding, I'll make them proud, which will make them very pround, but I don't know if that's the right attitude either? No parent wants to see there kids fail, right?

I can guarentee that they would want me to be happy with what I pursue, because its no fun if there is no happiness. But I feel that in order to be happy, I want to make a legitimate impact on the world around me. I don't know how I'd do it or even why I want to so badly.

God has a plan for everybody, for some they feel 'called' to something, like a pastor, fire fighter, mechanic or professor. I don't know what God's plans are for me. I don't like being left in the dark and I like to know things upfront. Not much of a Mystery Man I guess. I'm hoping my questions will be answered in my college experience. Maybe not knowing has become chains all on their own, I'm putting so much emphasis on wanting to do the best that I can do that I am essentially ignoring God's plan for me.

What if he wants to test me by having me fail, at everything? That is one of my deepest fears that his plan for me ends with me doing nothing to impact my surroundings; which, for me, is a failure. See, this is why I am questioning why I am motivated to do things. This post was supposed to be about letting go of stuff. I need to let go of my personal pride and come to God with everything I have, which is something that seems so hard and impossible. I don't how I'll get through this frame of thought, I'll pray pray pray that I can give things to God and let go. I'm praying for His grace to rain down and that I won't be afraid.

Another thing that bugs me about myself is I apologize too much. I've opened up pretty big in my opinion on here, and I'd like to apologize if I said anything that seems absolutely ridiculous. In a sense, I feel an apology is the best way to solve some problems, I have relied on religiously for my whole life. I don consider myself a caring person and I'll sometimes put the feelings of others before mine and I'll apologize, even though I meant what I had said in the first place. This certainly sounds like another blog. Maybe I'll sign up for Mr. Phil. Just kidding.

Hopefully I'm not insane, and that I will eventually find reasons behind my motivation. I am so motivated to do the best that I can do, and so as of today, I have been pretty successful. But I just don't know what is powering my motivation... crazy stuff.

Boy oh boy, this definately is my longest blog as of date. I could write so much more but I need recollect my thoughts so I don't go on a mindless rampage. Hopefully this isn't too abstract.

Adios amigos.

From Krazy Kids to Some pretty Stupid people

In my last post I was talking about how parents have made some mistakes in teaching their kids things that are not useful. I'll elaborate on this for a little bit, then I have an entirely new subject. So here goes.

Going back to my experience at Dave and Busters (with the young girl whipping her card through the games with ease), it goes to show how much things have changed in the past decade. When I was that age, I know I wouldn't have had a clue how to use the power card throughout the place. I still have trouble with my personal credit card at the gas pump... just kidding. But learning that 'art' at such a young age has to have some long term effect on the girl cause when she gets to be my age she will probably be capable of wielding four or five credit cards with brutal effiency... a credit card company's dream. Also with the young kid I saw at Target, he will probably be hooked on playing for another 15-20 years or so, which will probably deter from his homework and social skills. Society has changed so much (understatement of the world) over the years, as the influx of tv, internet, and video games provides the only social interaction for kids of all ages. It's sad.

Okay, well hopefully my thoughts are still coherent cause I'm starting to get a little droopy eyed. The next topic is losers who must have nothing better to do than to whine and complain on SignOnSanDiego.com, the official website of the Union-Tribune. Awhile back they introduced a "comments" section at the end of every article. Any article dealing with something as affirmative action, racial profiling, sexual discrimination and so on will induce literally tens of dozens of comments. An overwhelming majority of the people on there must be bored to say the same thing everytime something political comes up, unfortunately most of them are Liberals so the comments lack any kind of common sense and humor. These "Macho" types get to the point of wanting a physical confrontation just to prove the legitimacy of their incoherent point. But it certainly gives me some entertainment. I spend more time reading the comments than I do reading the article. I think at some point if I am bored out of my mind, I'd like to get a fake screen name and stir stuff up a bit. We'll see, but I wouldn't dare admit it. ;)

Stupid people in general really bug me. A lot. Of course, I'm sure to some people too I'm an absolute baffoon too, so life is weird circle all the way around. I think I might actually "publish" this post before midnight, which is pretty awesome. Haha.

Well hopefully i'll be able to come up with a post soon, cause I don't like to keep my devoted readers waiting. haha.. in my dreams.

Peace

Numero Dos

For the past couple days it has been pretty cool to walk around thinking of different topics to write about for my next blog. Unfortunately it has been a few days since my last blog. For today's blog there are a couple things floating around in my head and I'll recap my last couple days to lead-in to this occurrence.

First I'd like to talk about Thursday. An old small group leader, took me and the guys out to Dave and Busters for the night, where we grabbed some grub and played some fun games. We had a meal that cost $15 a plate and you get a $10 "Power Card," which is like a credit card for games there. It took me a few games to master the swiping motion of the dumb thing.

After finally learning to swipe the card with finesse, me and the group found a really fun trivia type game and it had us hooked for the rest of the night. I wish I hadn't wasted some of my "credits" before we discovered this amazing thing. Based on my sole experience with Dave and Buster's, it acts like a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. Through the ranks of older people scrambling to find their next game with a mug in their hand, I saw a fourish-old girl right along with them whipping her Power Card with an experienced intensity. I almost tripped over my lower lip after watching her for a few seconds. This doens't seem too relevant, but that's the start of my topic for today's (early) blog. After a good 25 minutes of typing this blog is ready to go.

Yesterday, or you could say two days ago now to be technical, I was in Target with my parents after watching Bourne Ultimatum (good movie by the way, lots of action to last me a good while) and I noticed another young kid doing something that I thought unbelievable. At the video game section of the store this kid was playing some game on a PS3 and he looked like he had been playing it all his life. His coordination was surprisingly good. At that age I was lucky to play my Gameboy with much success.

As I'm starting to get tired, its a little after 12:30, I'll make the argument that kids are not being taught the "right" things these days by their parents. Of course, who am I to pass judgement since I am not a parent, thankfully. I will continue this post with my argument, hopefully sometime in the next 24 hours.

Until next time, hasta la vista baby.

The First One...

I've been thinking about getting a blog for awhile now. Since I'll be gone from the familiarity of San Diego in a matter of weeks, I think this is a great idea to jot my thoughts down on anything and everything that's going on in my life. I definately hope to stay in contact with people that have certainly left an impact on my life and this could provide the perfect opportunity. It's a bit ironic that I'm starting my blogging experience at a time where I'm "supposed" to be asleep, but obviously that's not the case, as is the norm. I'm hoping that I can be pretty religious about this so years from now I can look back at my anxieties about college and life.

Right now, I really feel I'm on the brink of endless opportunities. Which, as a point in focus, going to a school with 20,000+ people and literally hundreds of different interest groups, there are countless opportunities to take advantage of while I'm there. I'm going to do everything possible to ensure that this goes better than high school, which will not take much for sure. I worked hard in high school, and it pays off with my going in as a sophomore at SB, but I want to enjoy what I do rather than sink in a mountain load of work. The party scene is not an appeal, as I've seen first hand as how it influences people's character and decision making. I'm going to be looking for people who can have a great time without the influence of alcohol, and they certainly will be around. Maybe we'll be able to turn the trend at SB into a more positive one. If one thing is going for me as I leave home, I am highly motivated to put SB as a leading institution in the country, so people will start to pick UCSB over freaking Bezerkeley. I picked Santa Barbara for many reasons over Berkeley, and I hope others will begin to do the same.

So we'll how it goes. I think this was pretty good for a first post. I banged out this bad boy in just about twenty minutes, and I'm starting to feel tired so I think I may succumb. There will definately be a lot more to come in the future, this is pretty cool stuff.

Alrighty mates, cheerio.