Reporting To You

Lee Experience

2009-04-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

After two years of working in the Admissions Office, I have gotten a lot of experience working with prospective students. I have made my fair share of phone calls and given countless tours of campus. But it is the big events that are most vivid in my memory.

Frontline and Lee Day require so much time and energy, but they are totally worth it! I’m always exhausted when they are over, but I love the interaction with people who are excited about Lee.

As I’ve been looking ahead to Lee Day this year, I’ve done a lot of thinking about my job and my experience at Lee. What is it about my job that I enjoy so much? What motivates me to give tour after tour after tour, no matter what the weather is like? The answer is simple… I love Lee!

I have had an amazing experience here, and I am so thankful that this is where God directed me to come. I have learned so many things, grown in so many ways, and met so many wonderful people while here.

It is wonderful to be able to honestly share with others the wonderful experiences I have had here. What better way to earn a paycheck than sharing my wonderful experiences with others and helping prospective students find a place where they can have similar experiences of their own?

This post was contributed by Erin Weeks.

Rain, Rain, Go away

2009-04-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I’m thankful for the rain. After the drought that consumed last summer, it is refreshing to feel little moisture in the air and hear the ground squish each time you take a step. However, along with the rain come certain feelings that I could definitely do without….

Never-ending sleepiness! It doesn’t seem to matter how many hours of sleep I got the night before; if it’s raining, I’m sleepy. The two go hand-in-hand. Being sleepy wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t make me yawn all the time. It is pretty hard to disguise the fact that I’m exhausted when every time my professor looks at me I’m yawning!

Rain also gives me an urge to wear sweatpants and watch a movie. I just want to be comfortable and lay on the couch all day (this would definitely appease my sleepiness). But this is never a possibility! I try not to be too bitter when I have to dress up to go to work in the rain…. I’m not usually very successful.

For some odd reason, the rain makes me want to eat. I don’t know why, but I crave sweets uncontrollably on dreary, rainy days. It doesn’t matter what kind… cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream… any will do.

So, in order to keep my impulsive urges under control, the rain must end. If not, I am going to end up sound asleep on the couch in sweatpants with a plate of half-eaten chocolate chip cookies beside me. But wait a minute… that doesn’t sound so bad… bring on the rain!

This post was contributed by Erin Weeks.

Wal-mart takes another wrong turn

2009-04-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love pictures. End of story. As a little kid, my friends joked about the fact that I always had a camera with me anytime we went anywhere. Yep…that was me. The weird little fourth grader taking pictures on field trips…

My defense has always been that you can NEVER have too many pictures! As life marches forward, people usually get some strange enjoyment from looking (and laughing) at images of their former self.

Thanks to my avid picture-taking through the years, I will be able to do that for years to come! What adult doesn’t want to look back and reminisce over memories from that trip to the Governor’s mansion in fifth grade? Or the trip to the beach where I felt the need to take pictures of stuffed animals posed on the balcony of my hotel? These were crucial points in life that thankfully were documented by an over-zealous adolescent.

My parents know how much I love pictures, so sometimes they get a few extra printed for me when they print some for themselves. Over Christmas break they did just that, but my dad decided to try the “true digital” photos that were being advertised on the Wal-Mart website.

Well it turns out that “true digital” photos are about four inches tall by five inches wide. Imagine my dismay when I realized that none of these pictures would fit my picture frames and that they would all leave random space in the slots of photo albums.

Since four inches by six inches has been the standard size, this throws a bit of a kink in my entire concept of photos. The pictures are still great, but what am I going to do? Will companies now start making smaller picture frames? What happens to the countless numbers of picture frames that line my walls and book shelves?

For now I am content knowing that I can still have pictures printed in four by six size. But if they ever take that away, I might have to demand that they throw in all new picture frames…

This post was contributed by Erin Weeks.

No Namesake...

2009-03-16T20:22:00.001-07:00

Personally, I feel like a building without a namesake on a college campus seems kind of sad and lonely. As I began to ponder this, some questions were brought to my mind…

Why is it that the School of Religion building is not named for anyone? Take a brief walk through campus and you will quickly see buildings that bear the names of many different people.

All of the other major buildings at Lee are named for someone who has had a profound impact on the university. Higginbotham Administration Building, Walker Memorial Building, Deacon Jones Dining Hall, Paul Conn Student Union, Curtsinger Music Building… the list could go on and on.

Not that I know, but I would assume that there is probably a lot of debate over the person(s) whose name will forever be associated with another one of the many structures on campus. For a Christian university, is it not a bit odd that the long-anticipated Religion building would not be bestowed this same honor?

But maybe the fact that it is known simply as the School of Religion is an honor in and of itself. Perhaps this suggests that it was intended to stand out from all the others.

So, what have I taken away from all of this seemingly senseless thinking?

Well, to put it quite simply, a new mission…

What would it take to have a building named after me? Hmmm…. I better start working on that…

This post was contributed by Staff Writer Erin Weeks.

Tada!

2009-03-05T21:29:00.001-08:00

Three short days ago, it was square root day.

However, today is my 21st birthday!

My favorite part of the day, you ask.

Lame, I know. But today marks the beginning of our long awaited Spring Break, also!

(I also like when my mommy tells me happy birthday, just for the record.)

Now, to a wonderful birthday.. first to sleep.

HAPPY SQUARE ROOT DAY!

2009-03-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

Square root day, you ask?

Today is 3/3/09, 3 is the square root of 9, so all of you math enthusiast out there, well I don't really know what you'd do to celebrate this day, but have at it.

Now, square root day is a special day, it's not like it comes around every year, it's a holiday that only happens nine times during a century.

The last square root day was 2/2/04, the next will be in seven years, 4/4/16.

Let's celebrate!!!

New Roller Coaster!!!!!!

2009-02-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

In an economy like today's, I find frivolous spending, simply ridiculous.

That's why when I came across this article, I was shocked.

Who has $4500 to throw around?

I must say, I'm from Ohio, the best state for amusement parks, EVER. Between Kings Island, an hour and half south of my home and then Cedar Point, two hours North of my home, before paying the nearly $5,000 to have the first ride on the newest coaster, I would opt to wake up super early and camp out in line...

Road trip anyone?

Kings Island's Diamondback coaster's Web site describes the new attraction as "the tallest, fasted and meanest roller coaster ever to hit Kings Island, it unleashes its fury with over 5,200 feet of steel track. At 230 feet tall, this monster twists and turns through 10 acres of terrain, wooded hills with a spectacular splashdown ending to give you the ultimate thrill without the venom."

The coaster is set to open when Kings Island opens for this year's season.

For more photos and statistics, visit the site.

Napping on the job... Can't you be fired for that?

2009-02-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

As you may already know, both Circuit City and Goody's are going out of business.

I'm sort of abnormal and live a little bit of a drive from campus, over by Target.

Though the going-out-of-business sign holders only work on the weekend, they always catch my attention.

As I drive to work, at Food Lion, I take a left onto Paul Huff Parkway in front of Denny's, and the parade of sign holders begin.

My first question is how do you get that kind of job; my second is how much do they get paid?

Each with their own personality and technique. Some are really into their job, some are merely holding the sign, listening to headphones, while others smoke their cigarettes.

However, there is one sign holder that takes the cake. He stands on the side of Paul Huff Parkway in between IHOP and Outback with his "going out of business" sign held up by a street sign (that may or may not be important to the drivers). He takes the opportunity to lean against a nearby electrical pole, his duffle bag as his makeshift pillow and nap.

That's right, homeboy is getting paid to nap.

Who's jealous?

Bedside lamps=expensive light bulbs

2009-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Introducing..... my new bedside lamp.

Why, you ask, am I making such a big deal out of my new bedside lamp?

First, you'll have to back up about two years with me. I bought a perfect bedside reading light, in the weeks before I pack up my car and left Ohio for my first semester of college. It match my decor, it was the perfect size and let off just enough light for me to see and was just dim enough for my roommate to sleep.

I've had this lamp, for two years, we've been through a lot. Three semesters in Simmons Hall, a semester in Keeble and it traveled with me now living off campus. The amazing thing, it's always fit in with the changing decor.

About two weeks ago, I went to turn on my faithful lamp and it's light had burnt out.

First time, in two years.

So I dug out it's light bulb and took it down the street to Target to purchase a new one. The new one, yea, was $7.67, for a light bulb, OUTRAGEOUS.

But, I decided to spend the nearly $8 on the light bulb anyways.

A week and a half later, I go to switch on the lamp so I can lie in bed and read before passing out for the night, and POP, it was out. No more light.

Even more angry, I let it sit there, unusable for another two weeks.

Finally, getting up enough courage (and money) to walk back into Target again, I went straight down the aisle toward the light bulbs, walked right past them an purchased myself a new bedside lamp that takes normal light bulbs, for $9.99.

I could have saved myself money earlier and bought it to begin with.

The moral of the story: Don't buy expensive light bulbs... er, check how much a light bulb costs beofre buying lamps.. er.. I know you've learned something from this experience of mine.

Just another addition..

2009-02-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today, Facebook decided they wanted to add another reason for Americans to be anti-social and lazy.

Instead of typing (because we all know how much work that takes) that you like someone's status, picture or note, the social networking site allows us to click a button.

Adding the button right beside the comment button, allows users to think about whether their friend, that they usually don't know, really deserves some personalized attention. Whether they are important enough to write a personal message to.

Facebook, I salute you.

Love is in the air...

2009-02-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

It's springtime.. and, well you know what that means at Lee. The rush for the ring-by-spring is on for ladies.

Many girls at my age (c'mon, I'm only 20 & 10 months old) are searching for their perfect match, but don't worry guys, my mommy told me like it was.

When I first came to school in Tennessee, she said, "Michelle, you're too independent to have a boyfriend."

And let's be honest, she's right.

While most girls are slaving away over a list of the perfect qualities to look for in a mate, I simply sit back and point out some of the things that annoy me the most about relationships.

For instance, some couples are determined to spend every waking moment together... Let me just state my opinion about this matter. By the end of the day, I would be so annoyed with hanging out with that one person so much, that I wouldn't want to date them anymore. Let's just say, long distance is the way to go with me.

Some girls just need a boy to open their eyes, to be a southern gentleman, to show them how to have a good time. Let me tell you. I'm from Ohio, which doesn't mean I'm rude or that a door being held open for me here and there isn't nice, but don't get crazy. I'm a human, I can open the door myself, it ain't gonna hurt me. Frankly, I can pull my chair out for myself, I can feed myself and I can order for myself also.

And beyond that, boys just don't know how to express their feelings. They are either too emotional or not enough; either way is bad. I don't want a boyfriend that will cry on my shoulder every other day, but talking about feelings isn't always bad. Is there ever a happy medium?

However, over the past few months, I've crafted a list. A list of what I am looking for...

1) Grandma must approve - Grandma is the hardest to get by. No need to worry about my mom, dad, brother, nephews, uncles... Grandma knows best. She's knows what she's talking about.

2) Good last name - Yes, I went there. I'm not going to take a ridiculous last name... I'm not afraid to hyphen it up.

3) Culinary abilities - This is a recent addition to the list. I'm a busy woman, I've got things going on. I need someone who is willing and able to cook. I mean, I can cook and I like to... but it's just too crazy.

4) Domestic - I understand I'm abnormal. But I could live in my own filth for months on end and it would never bother me. On top of all of that, remember the busy thing from the previous statement? I don't have time to do laundry or dishes or take out the trash. Ew, I hate taking out the trash.

Ok, now that you think I'm the perfect mix between shallow and CRAZY... you'll understand why my mom said I'm too independent.

If you know anyone who fits my mold, let me know.

What do you look for in a boy? Share with the Lee Clarion by leaving your comment below.

REALLY?

2009-02-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

So. I've always wanted to write a post like this...

First off, you've got to understand where I'm coming from. I love SNL, I particularly get a good laugh out of their Weekend Update. On Weekend Update, they do a skit called "Really!? with Seth and Amy." If you've never seen the skit, they make fun of ridiculous things and situations, while repeatedly using the phrase "really." If you'd like to view it, a portion of it can be seen here. (I would recommend skipping ahead to the 2:00 time marker.)

I'd now like to present to you, Really!? with Michelle Bollman, news editor....

After months of advertising and millions of dollars spent, you're pushing back the date of the "switch to digital?" REALLY?

REALLY, Congress, you have been planning this switch for years and with two weeks to go you decide that you want to push the date back another five months? REALLY?

The commerce department simply ran out of money to send $40 coupons? REALLY?

REALLY, how does that happen? 3.7 million homes are still waiting for their $40 coupon? REALLY?

I didn't know 3.7 million homes went without cable, REALLY?

REALLY, are you sure this isn't just another marketing scam to make Americans run out the stores to buy their HDTV's still? REALLY?

What's new, the government wants to make some more bucks off the unsuspecting customers, REALLY?

You're going to use the extra months to step up better "customer service" and "customer outreach and support," REALLY?

REALLY, if you haven't heard about this program yet, you're just REALLY deaf and blind, REALLY.

This has been Really!? with Michelle Bollman, news editor....

Read the full CNN article about the push back of the switch to digital, here.

White House blog offers up news

2009-01-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

In an effort to be the first 'next' generation president, President Obama has achieved many things.

He fought to keep his Blackberry while living in the White House, but the president only somewhat got his way when he was allowed to get a new Smartphone that would protect his well being.

He looked at the technology in the White House and asked for updated computers, as the ones there previously were long outdated.

But, beginning on the day of his inauguration, the www.Whitehouse.gov added a new link to the president's website: www.whitehouse.gov/blog

Though the blog is a very informative site, I'll just say I was expecting more out of it.

The word blog alludes to something cutting edge, something that is a new and exciting. But after a week watching the blog, I quickly found out that it is simply a site for the news releases from the White House to be published again.

Tell the Lee Clarion what you think!

Parker and 8th. Kaboom.

2009-01-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

So. Lets just say that I've written countless posts about cars on campus, in many different facets I'd like to point out. But this post, though directed to cars on campus, is a new beast.

Lets just say that the intersection of Parker and 8th Street has been bad news waiting to happen, well, ever since it existed.

But since the School of Religion building has open on said corner, the students getting to the building have just added fuel to the already out-of-control fire.

I, while trying to make it to my 10 a.m. class (which is a rant for a different place and time), almost witnessed a student get run over by a wild vehicle.

He was one brave guy, let me just point out.

I was in my car (which we've now named Cami) sitting directly in front of the Religion Building on 8th Street, waiting patiently to make a left turn onto Parker Street, to make it alive and in one piece to my 10 a.m. class in the PCSU.

The car that was trying to do the running-over was on Parker Street, headed towards the religion building trying to make a right turn onto 8th Street.

Lets just say that Lee's students are not patient and don't want to wait for hours on the corner of the street, simply trying to get to class. IN THE FREEZING COLD. So, me being the kind soul I am, try to give the pedestrians the benefit of the doubt when it is either unbelievable cold or raining, I just like to let them all go first, since I'm in my warm car and out of the elements anyhow...

First the car crashes, then the construction... this intersection is just bad luck.

I've been Twitterpated

2009-01-20T17:16:00.001-08:00

Twitter.

Let's just make this clear... I was forced at gun point to join the new social networking craze.

However, I've now been a member of the site for about a day and a half and have yet to see why it is the new "social media phenomenon."

I really don't know the capabilities of it, however I'm starting to think that I already know all there is to know.

I guess there is an upside. Just one more tool to add to my procrastination problem.

Follow the Lee Clarion's Twitter, here.

Excited about change?

2009-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Now that the inauguration is looming over our heads, Paste Magazine wanted to be a part of the buzz.

How have they made their mark? By offering users to create an "Obamacon."

The original historic poster that was developed during Obama's campaigning days is now being made available to users everywhere.

Wanna see what I created?

Behind the scenes of the Lee Clarion: Part III

2009-01-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

This series will explore what goes on behind the scenes of Lee Clarion production. Production is an eventful time for all editors as we learn to cope with school work, stress and risk our lives getting the paper out to Lee students.

Don't worry. I know what you're wondering and I promise to answer and clear up all questions and confusion in this very post.

FIRST, you were wondering how I snagged such a hot commodity like my, not only warm, but fashionable scarf in the subzero climate today.

SECOND, you're asking how much it cost and and wondering where I purchased it.

Well, I must say while we were on break from Clarion production for a month, the Life Editor, Jessica Wright, taught me the valuable skill of knitting.

While talking about future articles and production assignments, we knitted the break away.

See, the first question is already answered. I knitted my scarf. My very own scarf. And to just get the second answer out of the way while I'm at it, the yarn only cost $2.99 at Hobby Lobby!

Now don't think that that beautiful scarf didn't come with trials and tribulation, because it did. I'm pretty sure I "restarted" the process about 10 times. I may have thrown a knitting needle or two in the process and I almost managed to poke my eye out. (Those things are dangerous!)

Ok, I'll admit it, that's not all. I also almost had 12 heart attacks from almost losing a stitch, lost a few hours of valuable sleep time and skipped a few meals.

But, I'd say, it's just the price you have to pay...

..now I'm sure the second one will come much easier.. I hope.

Besides, I'm already taking orders!!!

My poor little car...

2009-01-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

So that's what kind of a car I own, a green 2006 Ford Focus.

I must say, I love my car. I actually think I love my car more than anything in life, well besides Jesus and my mommy.

I've had it almost two years and the more I see the miles add up on him, the more I get depressed. So I decided to quit resetting my trip odometer and to just quit looking at the miles all together.

You see, when I got my car, he only had 15,552 miles on him.

Today he has 45,537.

Which means, I've put 29,985 miles on my car. in. two. years. Which I try to justify driving almost 15,000 miles/year by saying I live two states away and I live about 10 miles from campus and my grandma, who I visit almost everyday while at home lives about 15 miles away, my church is 15 miles away... so it adds up.

When I was thinking about it I was wondering how many hours I have spent driving in my car over the last two years. So I figured out, if I drove 29,985 miles, continuously at 60 miles per hour how long it would be.

Basically, I've spent a total of 499.75 hours driving in my car.

That's 20.8 days of driving.

Top 15 Christian Songs of the 2008

2008-12-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

For the next few days, I'll be posting some of the "Top 10, 5, 2, 12..." lists that have been released now that we are approaching the end of the year.

...Now that we have the secular music out of the way, since we're all Christians at Lee, here are the Top 15 Christian Songs of the Year, according to about.com.

15. Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderlla

14. NEEDTOBREATHE - Washed by the Water

13. Fireflight - Unbreakable

12. Casting Crowns - Every Man

11. Casting Crowns - East to West

10. Fee - All Because of Jesus

9. The Afters - Never Going Back to OK

8. Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes

7. Chris Tomlin - Jesus Messiah

6. Chris Tomlin - Amazing Grace (my chains are gone)

5. Third Day - Call my Name

4. Mercy Me - You Reign

3. Mercy Me - God With Us

2. Jeremy Camp - Let it Fade

1. Matthew West - Everything

Top 10 singles of 2008

2008-12-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

For the next few days, I'll be posting some of the "Top 10, 5, 2, 12..." lists that have been released now that we are approaching the end of the year.

According to AHN's reader's poll, these are the Top 10 songs of 2008.

10. Leona Lewis - Run

9. T.I. feat. Rihanna - Live your life

8. Beyonce - Single ladies (put a ring on it)

7. Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy

6. Coldplay - Viva La Vida

5. Pink - So What

4. Katy Perry - I kissed a girl

3. Rihanna - Disturbia

2. Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis - Just Dance

1. Brittany Spears - Womanizer

The top 15 grossing movies of 2008

2008-12-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

For the next few days, I'll be posting some of the "Top 10, 5, 2, 12..." lists that have been released now that we are approaching the end of the year.

Now: The Top 15 Grossing Movies of 2008

1. The Dark Knight - $996.8 mill

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $786.6 mill

3. Kung Fu Panda - $631.9 mill

4. Hancock - $624.4 mill

5. Ironman - $581.9 mill

6. Mamma Mia! - $572.1 mill

7. Quantum of Solace - $534.5 mill

8. Wall-E - $507.3 mill

9. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $419.6 mill

10. Sex in the City - $415.1 mill

11. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $397.2 mill

12. Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $393.2 mill

13. Wanted - $342.1 mill

14. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who - 297.0

15. 10,000 B.C. - $269.1 mill

God's gift to Earth, Apple commercials!

2008-12-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Wanna know my favorite part of the holidays?

The FREE Christmas gift Apple gives. The one that they give the people, whose idea of relaxation during the holidays, is to sit at home and watch TV.

I mean, I'm already a fan of the genius advertising strategies that Apple has had thus far, but my love goes far beyond any explanation when the holiday ads start to air.

Take a look at the two television commercials from the company this year.

However, my favorite holiday advertisement is last year's commercial.

Ice, Ice. go away. far away.

2008-12-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

Remember that snow I asked for?

Well the snow God's decided to throw me for a loop and give me an ICE STORM instead.

The radar pictured above was Ohio, yesterday afternoon. All of the rain. FROZE.

It was very deceiving, I must say it looked like innocent rain coming down... but instead the minute it hit the ground, felt a gust of wind, it froze. in. one. big. sheet.

Every road in the city of Columbus, frozen.

Since I'm so used to being in Tennessee, I might have underestimated the damage that completely frozen lawns, driveways, streets, interstates, trees, and sidewalks can do.

I ventured out at the very beginning of the storm to take my friend to meet her ride to Cleveland (Ohio, that is).

I should have realized that the creeping traffic, going 30 MPH on the highway wasn't doing it for no apparent reason. After a drive that should have taken 20 minutes taking 1 hour and 15 minutes, I decided that I should go a different way home, due to all of the traffic, only to find myself lost.

Lost in the one part of town that I don't know. The one part of town that happens not to be the safest.

After turning down a few roads, in which I only vaguely recognized the road names of, I found myself somewhere that was familiar. Just when I thought that I was in the clear.

My car happened to spin out, only to be stopped when I hit the curb... I was completely spun around, facing the wrong direction and the car just happened to stop about 6 inches away from me slamming into a telephone poll.

I was so shaken up, I didn't know what to do, so I put my car in reverse and started to drive home. I probably didn't get up past 25 MPH the whole way home, which took about 45 minutes.

Close call, I'd say.

WBNS 10TV, CBS affiliate in Columbus reported that the Columbus Police Department received about 60 incident reports yesterday, within an hour, 4 p.m.-5 p.m. Read the entire story, here.

&&It better snow too.

2008-12-19T21:53:00.001-08:00

This is my new Snow Song.. if it gets that far, I might make a snow dance too.

(To be said to the tune of Rain, Rain, go away)
"SNOW SNOW,
COME MY WAY,
&&THEN I WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPLAIN ALL DAY!"

I've already driven NORTH, a 10 hour drive... now I demand some snow in Ohio.

I'm determined to have a white Christmas...
I mean, to be completely honest, I'd settle for a white Christmas eve, or eve before Christmas eve, or eve before the eve before Christmas eve...

HECK, just snow while I'm home. PLEASE???

Here in Columbus, we had 20" last spring break...

Is it to much to ask for a light dusting for Christmas?

Usually, I'm excited...

2008-12-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

The trip home is something that normally builds up, for a least a week ahead of time. It is something that I look forward to, gathering with my family, relaxing, no homework.

However, USUALLY, it only takes me 7 hours to reach the city lights of good 'ol downtown Columbus, Ohio.

I left left Cleveland at about 10:30 a.m., running only about a hour behind schedule and if you know me, that's right on time.

Which should have meant that I would be arriving in Columbus just about 5:30 p.m., as the sun was going down. I still would have been wide awake, anticipating the arrival at home. I was planning on going Christmas shopping with my grandma and out to dinner.

Just as I was leaving Lexington, passing through the beautiful Georgetown, I ran into 8 miles of traffic. That's right, 8. miles.

Which wouldn't have been bad if the 8 miles of traffic didn't need to merge from 4 lanes, to 3 lanes, to 2 lanes, down to 1 lane.. but it did.

Therefore, I sat in traffic, for an extra 2 and a half hours. Only to reach another half hour of traffic when I got to Cincinnati.

Sitting in a car for 10 hours by myself does some damage. I start singing and dancing, only to keep myself wake and not swerve off the road. I start texting, just because I get bored. I drink large cup after large cup of coffee, to keep my eyes open, which then makes me stop at every other exit to use the potty. And worst of all, I start talking to myself, due to sheer lack of human interaction for such a long period of time.

The story of the traffic?

Apparently a semi-truck carrying a load of batteries is the reason I had a 10 hour drive today. Apparently a semi-truck carrying a load of batteries is what RUINED my first night home.

Ah, life must go on.

Lions for Lambs

2008-12-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

The hard-hitting drama/action movie is aimed at bring to surface the touchy subjects that are affecting Americans, here and now.

Ok, so I might be a little late on the bandwagon, the movie was actually released at some point last year, but that doesn't change the fact that the movie was one of the best movies of it's kind that I have seen in the last year.

Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford focus on showing Americans three stories that are taking place simultaneously.

Though the movie is a bit heavy on the dialogue, if you miss a line or two, don't worry, you won't miss the whole plot.

It's all worth it in the end... Take a look at the trailer, below.

Rapping president...

2008-12-13T21:52:00.001-08:00

Uncanny resemblance? EXACTLY what I was thinking.

As I was looking through the graduation pictures on the Lee Clarion Facebook page, I couldn't quit thinking about what it would be like to see Dr. Conn freestyle and bust-a-move.

The moment I saw ol' Dr. Conn in his commencement regalia, he reminded me of a contestant on the VH1's "White Rapper Show."

The Lee University seal, made into a giant charm, is apparently something that only the president of the university gets the privilege of wearing around his neck.

Obviously, as you can tell from the above picture, it would be difficult to pick Conn out of a crowd of white rappers, he blends in so well. He could be living a double- president of Lee and famous rapper- life, and he plays the rolls so well that we would never know.

The Lee Clarion recently received a submission of a rap written as a tribute to Dr. Conn. The original can be viewed on the Larger to Life blog, here.

I've taken a chuck out of my day putting the Lee Clarion rap to pictures of Dr. Conn with his new over sized rapper chain at graduation.

Do you think Dr. Conn would be a good rapper.. I mean he has, what like 12 degrees, he can obviously do ANYTHING, including rap.

Limted edition.. what??

2008-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

So remember the Obama e-mail list I was somehow added to??

Don't think the e-mails have stopped... they've continued. At the rate of about once a day.

Most recently they've asked me to contribute $15 to get a "limited edition Obama holiday mug..."

Seriously? What do they think I am...

And the mug has nothing to do with the holiday's anyways... ERRR.

Clement C. Moore, one creative man.

2008-12-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days I have learned a lot about Clement C. Moore and the history of "The Night Before Christmas".

According to legend, Clement C. Moore wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas", which is now known as "The Night Before Christmas", for his family on Christmas Eve of 1822. Moore did not even want the poem to be published, but a friend of the family found out about the poem from Moore's children and submitted it to the editor of the Troy (New York) Sentinel, where it was published first on December 23, 1823.

Did you also know that the story of Santa entering through the chimney came solely from "The Night Before Christmas"? The main entrance we all know of today hadn't even been heard of before this poem.

Moore was the first to actually give names to Santa's reindeer. He is also credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly, fat man in a furry red suit.

I did not realize how essential this man is to our Christmas traditions.

Even now, almost two hundred years later, it is the most-published, most-read, most-memorized and most-collected book in all of Christmas literature.

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Want mad skills?

2008-12-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

Are you looking to gain some mad new skills?

Trying stopping at a local Ross or TJ Max store, where you can find software programs that will teach you some impressive new skills.

You can learn to speak Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian all for a low price of $5.99. Ok, do you understand how cheap that is?

I paid about $50 for my Berlitz Spanish Premier software. The reason being, I bought it at a Mac Store.

The leading in language software, Rosetta Stone, has Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps endorsing their product in this commercial.

But, better yet is this footage of him practicing his mad skills.

The Rosetta Stone product contains levels 1, 2 and 3. It sells at Barnes and Noble for $594. Yikes! Now, I think people are probably paying for the Michael Phelps endorsement.

Granted, it may be a little bit of a better quality then my $5.99 version by Topics Entertainment. However, The Instant Immersion Chinese Delux v. 2.0 also has speech recognition, interactive learning activities, and audio CDs.

So, I’m not sure what the big difference is other than the fact that you have to buy each level separately when you purchase from the Topics Entertainment company.

Hey, most of us are broke college students. So, if you are looking to just get your feet wet in learning a new language, you can do so without having to make a commitment of $594.

You would be surprised what you can find at places like Ross and T-J Max! You will find software for just about everything. They have learning how to play the guitar and keyboard software too.

Remember, it is never too late to learn a new mad skill!

Post contributed by Naomi Troudt.

2008-12-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

It recently occurred to me that certain famous people from Baltimore perhaps should be a little more careful when it comes to logging in/out of facebook.

Imagine if all of a sudden you have an audience of 2,660 people at your fingertips. Right now I could possibly send out a message detailing his love for Paul Conn or perhaps change his status to how much he loves the Clarion.

Thus I conclude that we all should be more careful when it comes to logging in/out of facebook. You never know when someone will come along and impersonate you...

This post was contributed by Daniel Diffenderfer.

Ripped off for books...

2008-12-02T20:31:00.001-08:00

Do you ever feel ripped off when you return your books to the bookstore at the end of the semester?

I mean, you spend four hundred dollars at the beginning of the semester for books, some of which you only use for a couple of weeks during the semester.

How does this even seem fair? Not only did we have to wait in line for too long when buying the books, now the line for buy back seems to have been given Miracle Grow.

Oh, well, even at the beautiful Lee University, I guess every rose has its thorn.

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Santa came early... and he loves me.

2008-12-01T17:03:00.001-08:00

I'm the proud owner of that ^.

The new MacBook.

It makes me happy. Really, really, really, really, really happy.

I'd suggest everyone get one; it'll change your life. You'll have friends you didn't know existed, a new Apple family that cares about you... and you'll be in the hole $1,300.

But I've never been this happy to have spent that much money on one single item in my life.

Is it just me, or is it extremely hard to come back after Thanksgiving break?

2008-12-01T16:32:00.001-08:00

Is it just me, or is it extremely hard to come back to school after Thanksgiving Break?

It was so hard for me to actually get out of bed and drag myself to those last few classes, when all I want to do is stay home, drink hot chocolate, wrap presents, and listen to Christmas music.

I normally turn on the holiday channel, where I can learn all kinds of Christmas trivia. For example, did you know that Annie Lennox was born on Christmas day? Did you know that Oklahoma was the last state to make Christmas a legal holiday? And that Clement C. Moore was the first to name Santa's reindeer?

I can just sit in my parent's LaZBoy, and watch the lights on the Christmas tree change from purple, to blue, to green, to red, to white, and then back to purple.

Ugh. Why would I want to study for finals when I can do this all day?

At least Lee has their Christmas trees up.

Only three more days until finals!

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Cheetah Love?

2008-11-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

'

My love for my nieces can be summed up in one night. I braved the cold, screaming 10 year old girls, skyrocketed prices for souvenirs and tripled hot dog prices, just for them. (That translates into saying, I love them lots.)

The Cheetah Girls, for those of you who don't know, are a group of three girls that have raised to fame due mostly in part to the Disney channel. The group, that appeals to mostly 7-12 year old females, actually isn't that bad. (Minus the screaming fans.)

Needless to say, I survived to talk about it.

I made the best of the night, topping it off with $5 nachos and a $4.50 bottle of water, and found myself bobbing my head to the catchy songs.

Would I recommend everyone attend at least one Cheetah Girls concert in their life..

In all seriousness, the special effects were AMAZING to me, and I'm 20!'

The concert was held at the home of the Columbus Bluejackets, the Nationwide Arena, in Columbus, Ohio. This is a picture at the beginning, when the arena was empty.. Imagine this filled with thousands of screaming 10 year olds, right when the Cheetah Girls take stage...

Oh. the. joy.

Pre-teen college student

2008-11-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

I flew home on Thursday for Thanksgiving Break.

I have a huge family. Two brothers, two sisters and me. I have four nieces and two nephews and one on the way.

So naturally, I'm the old uncool aunt when I come home, because my 7 and 6 year old nieces start to realize that I'm out of the loop when it comes to pop culture.

I mean, Lee doesn't teach me about all of the Disney channel singers and about the latest of the boy bands.

I first realized I was out of the loop when I came home over the summer, went to play Wii in my 7 year old niece's bedroom and saw that she had posters of boys plastered all over her walls. HOWEVER, they weren't just any boys, they were the Jonas Brothers. My 7 year old niece. The one that was born when I was a freshman in high school, has pictures of boys. on. her. walls. all. over. her. walls.

Now, I'll admit it, I had never heard a Jonas Brother's song until I came home for Thanksgiving and we were on the way back from my grandmother's house. I did see them on the MTV music awards, but I quickly changed the channel when their performance began.

I got a phone call early Wednesday morning asking if I wanted to go to the Cheetah Girl's concert with them. I said yes.

I'm attending my first Cheetah Girls concert tonight. I saw them once on TV. Other than that, I have no clue what I'm in for.

An arena full of screaming pre-teens is exactly how I want to spend my Friday night...

Wish me luck.

Behind the scenes of the Lee Clarion: Part II

2008-11-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

This series will explore what goes on behind the scenes of Lee Clarion production. Production is an eventful time for all editors as we learn to cope with school work, stress and risk our lives getting the paper out to Lee students.

I like to call this "When the stress gets the best."
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I know, it's hard to believe, but we do actually meet our deadlines.. well most of the time.

Really, we have to take a few dance breaks a night, just to keep us sane.

..and why else do you think Lee bought us computers with cameras in them..

This video stars, Michelle Bollman, News Editor and Daniel Diffenderfer, Deisgner, with guest appearances by Janchai Montrelerdrasme, Managing Photography editor, and Jessie Wright, Life Editor.

..We definitely have a future in this.

Behind the Scenes of the Lee Clarion: part I

2008-11-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

This series will explore what goes on behind the scenes of Lee Clarion production. Production is an eventful time for all editors as we learn to cope with school work, stress and risk our lives getting the paper out to Lee students.

The first part of the series will take you on the adventure to pick up the paper from the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Myself and the office manager, Emily Steele, venture to Chattanooga most Thursday afternoons to make sure the paper is back on campus, by 4 p.m. SHARP.

This is when the we "risk our lives" comes to be a part of my job here at the Lee Clarion.

Exhibit A. Let's just say, the Times Free Press loading dock isn't the cleanest thing on earth. There is dust and old papers and... toaster ovens, not to mention any of the numerous of other diseases I could catch there.

You see, TFP (times free press) admits it's short comings. A few weeks ago, they told Emily and I that each time we came to pick up the paper, we'd pretty much have to find a new method of getting in contact with someone to bring it out for us.

In addition to "Dock restricted to employees only" the door that we are always told to go through has a sign that reads, "Employees only, trespassers will be prosecuted." Nothing says "Go Away," like "we're going to press charges."

Exhibit B. Open sesame.

But one thing remains the same during each of our visits: we stand at the magical blue door, waiting for it to rise and hear the horn of the pallet mover bringing us the papers.

Apparently Southern hospitality only goes so far though. Each and every time, not one of the employees asks to help us two lovely ladies load the papers into the car. It's all on us.

Let's just say that our shortest wait time for the magical blue door to open has been about 20 minutes.

Now don't worry, our experiences at the TFP loading dock will NEVER prevent you, the readers, from receiving your Lee Clarion, right on time.

I'm just thinking about hiring a few bodyguards. Any ideas?

Bradley Square Christmas Bear

2008-11-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

This bear has been in the Bradley Square Mall during the holidays ever since I can remember.

The bear is probably as old as the mall itself.

I know it doesn't look like it now, but this bear used to be the focal point of Christmas decorations in our hometown mall.

It used to sit amongst giant-sized toy building blocks, the biggest rocking-horse I've ever seen, and many other welcomed decorations.

The bear was snow-white, and donned with his most special tinsel-gold bow tie. He sang to the passerby's as his mouth moved to the words, and turned his head to watch shoppers excitedly prance by, gift bags in tote.

Now the Bradley Square Christmas Bear is a dilapidated version of itself, a shade of dirty snow, and a mouth no longer capable of singing his favorite Christmas carols.

His head never moves to watch families go by, and his back looks as if it has been pried open many times for failed repairs.

Yet, still, when I see him, I remember all those years long ago when I saw Mr. Bradley Square Christmas Bear watching me hold my parents' hands, my dreams full of candy, Santa, and presents evident in my eyes.

And when I see him on days like today, I am instantly a child again, with visions of Christmas day dancing in my head.

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

2008-11-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again - the time where you see the crimson and gold leaves falling to the ground as you walk to class, the crunch-crunch under your feet when you stop to talk to friends - the time when all you really want before that 9 o'clock class is a hot latte from Jazzman's because the wind has been biting your face ever since
you left your dorm.

It's time for hot soup inside and hayrides outside, time for pumpkin pie and dreams of Thanksgiving break, time for eating turkey and Black Friday shopping, and time for final exams and Christmas planning...

It's finally here at last - It's Autumn at Lee again.

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Gas at last!

2008-11-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, it has been several months since I've seen my gas tank over half-way full.

I don't even remember the last time I filled up the whole tank.

So, last night, needless to say, I was elated after putting only twenty dollars worth of gas in, and seeing my red indicator past the half-of-a-tank mark! It may be cheesy, but it feels good!

After seeing that, I instantly got a small jolt of hope for the future. Maybe gas will stay down around two dollars a gallon. Maybe our economy will really get better an jobs will become readily available. I least I hope so.

It's funny how this small jolt of hope came from me seeing something so small: my gas tank over halfway full.

This post contributed by Promise Mikle.

Conserving the Environment, when it's convient, of course.

2008-11-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

Everywhere you turn you hear some tidbit on how to conserve energy and how to "go green". I read magazine after magazine saying to "always turn the water off when you brush your teeth and don't take a long showers" in order to save water.

Well, I'm the type of person who goes into the restroom and turns the sink faucet knob off when someone forgot to. I can't stand the slow or fast drip-drip down the sink; it literally pains me to think all that clean water is simply going down the drain.

Needless to say, I was appalled when I went into a certain highly popular store's bathroom today to see that the water was gushing out of the faucet with no one standing there washing their hands.

As I attempted to turn the knob, I realized it was a motion-detected faucet that would not turn off. After waiting a few seconds to see if it would turn off by itself, it did not. So, I walked outside of the restroom to see two women standing behind a customer service counter, and told them the faucet would not stop gushing water. They simply said, "Thanks, we know", and continued to their conversation. I walked away in a daze and thought to myself, "I guess all that saving the environment advice didn't
do it's job at all."

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Every college student's dream..

2008-11-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Healthy ramen noodles.

I purchased my healthy meal for a mere $0.44 at Food Lion. Though I'm sure you can get the new version at Wal-Mart, I prefer to shop at Food Lion, so I can only speak for them.

The package reads "Even with 80% less fat and 24% less sodium you don't need to compromise on taste. We've created unique blends of seasons and spice that complement our non-fried ramen noodles. Now available in: Savory Herb Chicken, Slow Stewed Beef and Shrimp Supreme flavors. It's the smart choice for better eating."

"Choice Ramen" is made by the same name brand company, Nissin, that makes the real deal.

The whole bag of noodles will set you back 280 calories and 2 grams of fat, but adds 4 grams of fiber to your diet.

For more information about Choice Ramen, check out this Nissin blog post on their site.

Christmas a few months early.

2008-10-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - or is it?

I see decorated Christmas trees, hear all my favorite carols - but Christmas is still almost two months away!

Is it really "the most wonderful time of the year" again?

Looks like Christmas arrives earlier every year, even though it seems weird to sing "Jingle Bells" when it is 80 degrees outside.

Nevertheless, seeing Christmas joy with the reds and greens of the season picks up my mood as it reminds me of seeing family and friends...and also of eating all the comfort food and candy I want without feeling the "How many calories did I just consume" guilt.

And it gives me something to look forward to as we draw near to the end of the semester.

This post was contributed by Promise Mikle.

Frontline, schmuntline.

2008-10-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

First off. Let's just say that this blog post has solely spurred from parking issues, due to "Lee's fabulous Frontline guests."

Why do we have a whole parking lot dedicated to Frontline and why, when I was looking at Lee did I NOT get the same kind of special treatment each of these wonderful guests today are receiving?

I'd have you know, when I was looking into colleges, my choices were between Adrian College in Michigan and here. Adrian, send me COOKIES AND A WATER BOTTLE. Lee did nothing to deserve such a amazing student like me, but out of the graciousness of my heart, I decided to come anyways.

Due to the ENTIRE LIBRARY parking lot being dedicated to Frontline guests, this morning I had to walk nearly 8 miles IN THE RAIN.

On the Lee University Frontline site it says that you should expect "to have your socks knocked off."

HOWEVER, my socks were knocked off because they were soaking wet from my 8 mile hike just to get to the Student Union.

We already have a WHOLE weekend (Lee Day) dedicated to our prospects, why do we need an additional 12 billion days for them to come see the Lee bubble?

See, on Lee Day, I can leave to escape, on Frontline days, I have classes, there's no way of getting out of it.

Why, Lee, why?

And the winner is...

2008-10-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a few weeks late.

The Editorial Board at the Lee Clarion is proud to announce the winner of a drawing that took place a few weeks ago.

Remember, free tickets to The River Maze?

Lindsay Knotts, you're the proud winner.

E-mail me at news@leeclarion.com and we'll arrange for you to pick up your tickets to The River Maze.

Congrats!

Sitting back and enjoying the fight

2008-10-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm from Ohio, along with another 90% of Lee students.

When I'm not home, I miss it

However, coming back home for the first time this year, I realized how BIG of a swing state Ohio actually is in the upcoming presidential election.

When I sat down to watch Judge Judy, (ok, I didn't really sit down expecting to watch Judge Judy, nothing else was on) I watched a whole segment. Then the commericals came on. Now with about two and a half weeks left before the election, the WHOLE commerical break were advertisments about the upcoming election.

One thing that I have noticed is the blanet attack ads on Obama in Ohio. It's amazing. In Tennessee, I'll see one or two political advertisments a day, but here at home, trying to relax and not let the world get the best of me, YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM IT.

I actually casted my vote today. Early voting is an amazing invention. Amazing, I tell you.

Wanna see the most ran presidential advertisment in Ohio?

Grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the fight.

Ok, so it's only 15 seconds, watch it again!

I'm a winner.

2008-10-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, let's just say I haven't had the best of luck this past weekend.

It all started when I went to Nashville last Thursday,the sinuses went crazy which landed me with a runny nose and a voice comparable to that of a 12 year old boy going through puberty.

I'm not afraid to admit it, Thursday night at the conference of a swanky downtown hotel, I caught my heel in the carpet on the stairs (note to self: NEVER carpet stairs) and fell down the five remaining stairs, face first, which has brought me a screwed up ankle, a rug burn on the length of my entire shin and a huge bruise on my thigh.

Sunday night driving home, I managed to misread signs and jump on 24 West instead of 24 East, and lets just say, 24 West doesn't bring you back to Chattown. We ended up in Kentucky about 45 miles from Nashville. Which wouldn't have been a problem if we hadn't had to sit through 2 and a half hours of traffic due to a HUGE accident, which we now would have to sit through going the opposite direction. Long story short, we didn't get home until 5 in the morning.. oh yea, we left at 10 p.m.

You see, not getting home early wouldn't have been a problem if I didn't have to be at work at 8 a.m. for my FIRST day of my NEW job.

Needless to say, I woke up late. Four. hours. late. Strollin on up into the Food Lion on your first day of work, four hours late isn't the best situation. Thankfully after my stories of the weekend, my manager and I were able to laugh it off and get on with the day.

Which brings me to today.

Caution, it might get a little graphic.

I had to work again, don't worry, I was on time today, in fact, I was five minutes early.

Mistake number ONE: I had Wendy's before work.

About half way through the night I had to run to the back to get some water in the middle of ringing up an order because I felt so sick.

After two false alarms, I ran to the back again, only not being able to hold it in completely...

I got sick. And some of it happened to land on my shirt. This began the walk of shame I had to take BACK up to the register, where my shift leader told me to go home for the night.

However, I'm proud to announce...

My luck is changing, as you can see by this photo.

That's right I won the game... or did I?

News ADD...

2008-10-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been watching your favorite news program only to be distracted by the scrolling ticker at the bottom? Though it's intended to update and inform, it has a tendency of backfiring in that the viewer must decide upon what it wants to watch: the anchorman telling the stories or the scrolling text at the bottom that scrolls just a little too slow to be read fluently and a little too fast to be totally ignored.

Being a person who has a hard time concentrating on two things at once, I am absolutely unable to concentrate on both simultaneously. Just the other night I was attempting to watch the news and I could hardly focus on Larry King's seemingly-constricting suspenders! Unfortunately, my choice was to focus either on Mr. King or the story at the bottom telling me about the man who won the lottery twice in the same year his wife was found stuck on the toilet. This is most disheartening.

However, some argue that the scrolling ticker at the bottom helps to better inform the viewers. I would counter this arguments with the fact that if I needed to know something, I'm pretty sure Bill O'Reilly would have told me (seeing as how he is "looking out for [me]").

What I would suggest is a compromise between the pro-ticker and anti-ticker groups. For those concerned with keeping abreast with all the latest headlines, we would have a ticker only channel on CNN's alternate "headline news" channel. On the regular CNN channel we could simply continue business as usual – only without the ticker. Just a suggestion.

This post contributed by Daniel Diffenderfer.

QUIT WITH THE E-MAILS.

2008-09-30T17:49:00.001-07:00

I'll be the first to admit it, I'm not one that agrees with the majority of Lee students when it comes to politics, I'm a minority.

I signed up for text and e-mail updates when Barack Obama was in the process of choosing his running mate, so I could be included in one of those who would be the VERY FIRST to hear the news.

However, in the recent days, say, the past four days, I have been overwhelmed and bombarded with e-mails for the Obama camp.

First it was a friendly reminder to register to vote, then it was telling me early voting has began, then it was telling me that the CNN poll (yes, CNN, liberal, of course) said he was the winner of the debate, then they just never stopped coming.

In the time span of four days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I have gotten seven e-mails.

Its got to stop somewhere, Obama, it has got to stop.

Happy Birthday to you!

2008-09-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, not really you, but if it happens to be your birthday, then I'm jealous.

You share a birthday with one of the BIGGEST celebrities in the world.

Who, you ask?

Happy 10th Birthday, Google!!!

Lets take a moment to explore what kind of predicament the nation would be in without Google.

First, it would make research for those 10 page research papers nearly impossible to do the night before.

Second, when a group of people all have a different answer to the same question, how would would we settle the battle?

Third and most importantly, how would we have ever discovered one of the most reliable sources out there, wikipedia?

To celebrate their brithday, they made a timeline dedicated to their big day.

If you want to find out more about Google's 10th birthday, check out their blog.

It's just another ploy.

2008-09-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

All day, I've been so unbelievably excited to watch the FIRST presidential debate...

I've been trying so hard to listen carefully to Senator John McCain ramble on too long about sending troops to Afghanistan, or more troops in that case.

However, good ol' Facebook always finds a way to distract me.

So, you're asking, Michelle, why are you writing this blog?

Let me just take a moment to answer that question.. right after I listen to Senator Obama's response.

Ok. So, Jessica, the editor of the Larger than Life blog, vowed that she would not write another Facebook piece. And that leaves me.

Just do me a favor, log into Facebook, scroll down to the bottom of your page and change the language to English (pirate).

Let's laugh together.

It's a great time...

2008-09-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

to be addicted to television.

Actually, this week is ABC's "national stay at home week," which was meant to encourage families to sit at home and watch television all week.. Wait, what's new?

The effort, I suppose, is to get more viewers during the week of many of the new fall premiers.

I'm most excited about the office (even though it's on NBC) and Gray's (AHHHH, can't wait.) and.. I'll admit it, I'm a fan of Desperate Housewives.

You see, I wish I could be more excited about watching TV, however, I've gotten in a tooth and nail argument, with none other than Charter Communications.

I'm outraged at the fact that somehow my first months bill added up to be about $120. How, I have no clue, but it's only supposed to be $64.99. Apparently, nothing is as good as it seems.

None the less, to celebrate the gracious occasion, you know where to find me.

On your marks...

2008-09-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Best Raft Race ever.

Apparently, the race has it been non-existent since 1999.

However, today brought out competitive sides as 17 four or five man teams were vying to win $100 cash.

The race, sponsored by SLC started at the top of the Hiawassee River and ended at the Hiawassee Outfitters exit ramp.

The top prize went to men's Greek club, Tau Kappa Omega.

The fastest of the seventeen boats was one hour, 19 minutes while the last finishers completed the race in just over two and a half hours.

Though only one winner was crowned, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

SLC is looking into making the race annual.

Official results at bottom of post.

Wondering how the Lee Clarion's team did, AMAZING... well, almost.

Ok, it took us two hours and 15 minutes, but we are proud to say, we finished 15th.

Hey, don't make fun of us, we write for the Lee Clarion, we don't have time to work out and brush up on our rafting skills.

If we did that, who do you think would put out the paper???

I guess you can't have everything.

Fierce, right?

Mom Messages..

2008-09-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

HI MOM!

[Disclaimer: Mom, if you're reading this, I mean it in the nicest way possible.]

For each person in the world, there is that one "thing" that you just don't check. For some people, it's their e-mail, some it's their Facebook invitations and invites, for others [like myself] it's voice mail messages.

I'm close to my mom. In fact, though I'm two states away from her, we talk a least once or twice a day, if we don't, somethings incomplete.

My mom understands my horrible habit and hatred for checking voice mails, but she insists on leaving them.

I might enjoy listening to them if I got some variety, but, none the less, it's the same exact message, over and over and over again.

"Hey Michelle! It's your mother [like I didn't already know who it was], give me a call when you get this." [This mind-boggles me, because what if I've already talked to her before I got the message and then I just get confused.]

However, they never end.

Currently I have eight unheard voice mails. Don't worry, when it gets to twenty, my voice mail box fills up, then after 30 days, they all delete themselves, which saves me the pain of check them.

So next time you call, don't leave a mom message, in fact, don't leave a voice mail at all, I won't check it.

However, I will see your phone number as a missed call and return it when I get a chance.

Mom, I really do love you.

End of the World???

2008-09-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Large Hadron Collider, recently unveiled in Switzerland at the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) headquarters, has been used successfully for the first time Wednesday. Its purpose is to collide opposing beams of highly kinetic protons, and is a major breakthrough for the physics community.

CERN seeks to use the world’s largest particle accelerator machine to find out how atoms acquire mass. It could possibly prove the existence of the Higgs boson, also known as the “God particle.”

Skeptics claim that the machine could produce black holes and other negative phenomena that could be potentially destructive. However, CERN scientists have disputed this, saying that if any such black holes were to form, they would be miniscule and would dissipate almost immediately. "

The gravitational force is so weak that you'd have to wait many, many, many, many, many lifetimes of the universe before one of these things could [get] big enough to even get close to being a problem," said Huth in a CNN article.

So, what do you think? Do you think that the scientists at CERN are trying to “play God” or are you excited to see where physics will go from here? I find myself to be a bit skeptical of this machine, but I am curious to see what exactly will happen.

How desperate do you have to be?

2008-09-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my CNN love...

They have this great feature on their site called "Popular News." While browsing through the popular news section, I found this story.

The gist is that a slaughterhouse in Des Moines, Iowa was cited with over 9,000 violations of the states child labor laws.

9,000. If you going to break a law you might as well go all out, right?

The site was raided by investigators on May 8th of this year and nearly 400 people were arrested.

The people that have been charged with these violations are the plant owner, former plant manager, human resources manager, and two other management employees.

The allegations included finding 32 children under the age of 18 and seven under 16.

The state cited the disobedience in five child labor laws: employing a child under age 18 in a meatpacking plant; employing a child under age 18 in nan occupation that exposes the child to dangerous or poisonous chemicals; employing a child under age 16 who operated power machinery; employing a child under age 16 who worked during prohibited hours or more hours in a day than permitted by law; and employing a child under 16 who worked more days in a week than permitted by law.

What has America come to? Why don't we protect our children more? I just don't understand how all of this went unnoticed for so long.

It makes my heart hurt.

Since when did it take being a rocket scientist to park on campus?

2008-09-08T13:26:00.001-07:00

When you press your snooze button on an alarm clock five times in the morning, you're bound to be late.

Don't worry, I was only running a maximum of five minutes late.

Living off campus and all, that five minutes is a big deal.

Trying to get to an 11:00 AM (I know, ridiculous times) content meeting in the Publications Lab (in the PCSU), I ran into a few problems.

See, I go straight down 8th, cross over Ocoee and then [usually] take a left at Parker and safely find a parking spot behind the Conn Center.

To my dismay, the whole section of Parker between 8th and 11th was closed. Completely. Unnecessary.

I reluctantly followed the detour which took me around the soccer field, in front of North Cleveland, only to find no parking spots anywhere NEAR the PCSU open.

Thinking cleverly, I drove through the library parking lot in order to get let out on Parker, so I could cut across to get in the PCSU parking lot.

Whew. Don't worry, it only took me an unreasonable 20 minutes to park.

The joy of expanding. The irritation of growing.

Growing pains, I'd say.

Seriously, this is the most important news?

2008-09-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it, CNN is my homepage.

I respect CNN, hence why I give them the opportunity and privilege to bring me the most important news to me each and every time I click to open my web browser.

It upsets me, however, when the main story of such a prominent website is about Senator John McCain's VP pick, Sarah Palin, and her over-publicized past.

Read the story here.

In my job at the Lee Clarion and in each of my journalism classes, I am taught about the "prominence" of news. Prominence, meaning the importance.

But when I read a lead story that exploits each facet of a vice-presidential candidates past, it makes me question everything I've learned.

Now, I want to know what YOU think, will the fact that Palin is a ex-basketball player, ex-beauty queen, pro-life, television sportscaster politician from a town of a few thousand in Alaska prevent you from voting for McCain? Or even giving your vote to Obama?

Forget Obama, I'm beginning to think the news media has found a new love. Sarah Palin.

Convention-maina!

2008-09-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for national conventions.

With formal nominations and speeches looming, 24-hour media coverage is sure to follow.

Though the Republicans are just beginning their convention in Minnesota, the Democrats wrapped up their convention in Denver on Thursday.

The national conventions are used as a formal way to solidify their party ticket for the presidential election.

The event, usually held in August of an election year, is seen as a vital part of the party's media coverage. It gives them the opportunity to polish the party platform just in time for the final stage of campaigning.

The Democratic National Convention, which ended with Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday night, began last Monday.

On Wednesday night, the party took role call of each state, asking how they would like to split their delegates. During what then news media is calling a "historic" roll call, the voting reached New Mexico, who then yielded their votes to Obama's home state of Illinois, who then yielded their votes to Senator Hilliary Clinton's home state of New York. Clinton then took the floor to ask that the rules of the process be suspended and Obama be nominated by acclamation.

The Republican National Convention began yesterday, only for limited sessions, due to 'essential business' as Hurricane Gustav made landfall.

The missed events have been squeezed into the schedule between today and Thursday.

On the schedule to speak is Rudy Giuliani, President Bush (speaking via satellite), Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman.

The party is expected to formally announce Arizona Senator, John McCain as their presidential nominee.

McCain has been in the hot seat over the weekend after announcing his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in Dayton, Ohio on Friday.

Palin has stirred up the news media after revealing parts of her past and family life.