Freshman year again was quite an experience. It was 1989 and George Bush Sr. was President. Little did we know but in a year or so my Guard unit faced the very real possibility of being activated and my good friends in the Guard and I would be going to war. We had a very good mission and would be on nice safe Air Force bases somewhere in the middle east.
Thankfully that never happened but it was a real possibility for a while. When U.S. Forces intervened on the behalf of Kuwait to remove Iraq from their country I had no idea what it was all about. I also had no idea where Kuwait was geographically.
My parents not coming to my college my freshman year at all really should not surprise anyone. Dad has always been kind of rough when it comes to relating to me and my family. My sister too. He really wants to forget about my mom who died when I was 9 and my sister was 11. He has remarried and actually is doing ok although I think he is a bit miserable overall. He gets really frustrated really quickly and is really a pain in the ass to get along with at times. But I must admit that I am too.
Back to freshman year - it really was a fun time in life. I rushed a fraternity known as Sigma Nu. My grandfather Dees was a Sigma Nu in the exact same house 60 years earlier and that was very helpful in me getting a bid there. I happily accepted the bid and started pledge duties. These duties included on certain nights having to spend the night at the house and wake up upper classmen at 5:00 in the morning. That was rough.
After I received my bid to join Sigma Nu they had a big party for us. We were assigned - my pledge class and me - a keg of beer to drink. We obliged and I proceeded to get pretty hammered. As a result of this over indulging I started dancing and flirting with girls on the dance floor at this party and at one point I smacked a gal on the butt whom I did not know. Turned out she was a brother in the fraternities fiancee. When he found out I did this, in my drunken state, he and a couple of other brothers took me out in back of the house and he punched me in the face. I started to bleed from the lip and was extremely upset. I thought for sure I was dead and that these guys were going to kick me out of the house. I did not apologize or really ever talk to this guy again but I do know that this did not start out my pledge-ship on a good note. Actually a few weeks later I was asked to leave the house. Mostly this seemed to be as a result of this party and my actions but I also was struggling with all of the duties and my grades etc. So overall I deserved what I got. That is a really rough experience for any freshman to go through and as a national guardsman and military guy I was embarrassed, hurt, challenged and sad all at the same time. I really wanted to be a Sigma Nu. I really wanted to be in a fraternity and I felt like they did not want me because of my actions and that was a really tough pill to swallow. I thought for sure this would all go away and I would be welcomed back in.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
College Freshman year - another post
That year, 1989, was an interesting one to say the least. My Dad and I sat down one day the prior year - so 1988 - right after I had turned 17 - and discussed my future. His first suggestion to me was and I quote, "What do you think about joining the Indiana Air National Guard?" To which I responded, "That sounds cool!" So for the next few weeks he arranged a meeting for me with the Guard base recruiter in Terre Haute, IN at Hulman Field. Terre Haute was and is very familiar to me beause from the age of 2 to the age of 15 we lived there. I spent many days and and nights roaming the streets of Terre Haute and Edgewood Grove in particular. Anway, we went down to the base and I met with the recruiter and he was very encouraged that I wanted to join the Guard at such a young age. I mean at 17 do any of us really know what we want? Do we know what career to follow? Are we serious about life yet? I was not and thought that this might #1 make my Dad happy and #2 get me in shape and #3 put some money in my pocket. All 3 things came true over the next 6 years and I'm really glad that I made that decision. Anyway back to 1989 - my freshman year in college is kind of a blur at this point. I mean it is 21 years later and that is a long time to remember back. Anyway - in 1989 Bush Sr. was president and the country was really doing pretty well. We were in a relatively low tax situation and the economy was growing. My thoughts at the time had absolutely nothing to do with that but . . .
So I started college and was thinking I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer. I met with my advisors in the School of Science - which I had to get admitted to because the school of engineering only took B+ GPA's out of high school or better. The School of Science folks set me up with classes that if I did well, I could then apply to get into the School of Engineering and could do what I really wanted to do. My freshman year math class was really not that bad. We met 3 days a week - so Monday, Wednesday and Friday at like 8:30 in the morning. My math TA (Teaching Assistant) was from Iran of all places and when we would talk after class he was really upset about the war's going on all over the planet and, "Why doesn't the U.S. get involved and stop some of these things?" One of my good friends in that class was an Army veteran and was going to college, like me, on the Montgomery G.I. bill - meaning his tuition was supplemented by savings he put away while on active duty with the U.S. Army. He later would tell me that he paid all his tuition and housing expenses with the G.I. bill - to my amazement.
So I started college and was thinking I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer. I met with my advisors in the School of Science - which I had to get admitted to because the school of engineering only took B+ GPA's out of high school or better. The School of Science folks set me up with classes that if I did well, I could then apply to get into the School of Engineering and could do what I really wanted to do. My freshman year math class was really not that bad. We met 3 days a week - so Monday, Wednesday and Friday at like 8:30 in the morning. My math TA (Teaching Assistant) was from Iran of all places and when we would talk after class he was really upset about the war's going on all over the planet and, "Why doesn't the U.S. get involved and stop some of these things?" One of my good friends in that class was an Army veteran and was going to college, like me, on the Montgomery G.I. bill - meaning his tuition was supplemented by savings he put away while on active duty with the U.S. Army. He later would tell me that he paid all his tuition and housing expenses with the G.I. bill - to my amazement.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Things have definitely changed since 10/2008
Well I am very surprised how freaking long it has been since I last blogged. I am going to start a series on my life as a freshman in college and see how that goes.
I remember back in 1989 when I got accepted to the college I decided to attend that I was pretty elated. My Dad and I had driven down to the school and walked the campus at the suggestion of my Grandfather on my mom's side. My grades were kind of borderline for this institution and the self appointed interview sealed the deal for me.
My freshman year was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. I have/had never felt so alone, lost, wanting in my life. I remember moving into my dorm room my first day on campus. I was all alone. No parents, no friends, no sister nobody. In my sisters's defense she didn't have to start classes for a few weeks and was still hanging at home which I understood but my parents? Come on. My Dad has always been extremely successful in life. He is a federal judge and makes a lot of money and has a nice low cost of living. He expects the same of me I think and so here I am trying to make that happen. Anyway - the day I moved into my college dorm I'll never forget. I pulled up to the dorm to very little fan fare - took the elevator up to my assigned room and went in. My roommate - a Chinese guy from Indianapolis who went home EVERY weekend - was not there yet. He actually did not show up until a week or so later. I really basically roamed the grounds of the university for 4 or 5 days doing next to nothing but sleeping in and staying up late watching tv. I also played some basketball in pick-up games at the co-rec which was our version of the school gym.
Anyway - I remember next door to me and down the hall from me were some really cool guys. All Engineering majors and all pretty fun. There was Brent; Todd; Mike; Derrick; Tim B.; Bob; etc. Most of these guys were from all over Indiana and some were from other states like Illinois or Iowa. The big eye opener to me this first few weeks was how free I was.
I had just graduated from Basic Training in the United States Air Force a few months prior and was in probably the best shape of my life. I weighed in at a svelt 190 lbs. and was 6'2 with eyes of blue. I really enjoyed running, walking, tennis, basketball, really all sports. But in Indiana basketball is life. Anyway the thing that probably upset me the most about this whole experience was that my folks did not come down to help me get settled. I know now that they were just selfish people and continue to be pretty selfish. I have 2 kids of my own and could never even dream of not going to their first few days of college with them and helping them to get settled - as long as they will have me.
I remember back in 1989 when I got accepted to the college I decided to attend that I was pretty elated. My Dad and I had driven down to the school and walked the campus at the suggestion of my Grandfather on my mom's side. My grades were kind of borderline for this institution and the self appointed interview sealed the deal for me.
My freshman year was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. I have/had never felt so alone, lost, wanting in my life. I remember moving into my dorm room my first day on campus. I was all alone. No parents, no friends, no sister nobody. In my sisters's defense she didn't have to start classes for a few weeks and was still hanging at home which I understood but my parents? Come on. My Dad has always been extremely successful in life. He is a federal judge and makes a lot of money and has a nice low cost of living. He expects the same of me I think and so here I am trying to make that happen. Anyway - the day I moved into my college dorm I'll never forget. I pulled up to the dorm to very little fan fare - took the elevator up to my assigned room and went in. My roommate - a Chinese guy from Indianapolis who went home EVERY weekend - was not there yet. He actually did not show up until a week or so later. I really basically roamed the grounds of the university for 4 or 5 days doing next to nothing but sleeping in and staying up late watching tv. I also played some basketball in pick-up games at the co-rec which was our version of the school gym.
Anyway - I remember next door to me and down the hall from me were some really cool guys. All Engineering majors and all pretty fun. There was Brent; Todd; Mike; Derrick; Tim B.; Bob; etc. Most of these guys were from all over Indiana and some were from other states like Illinois or Iowa. The big eye opener to me this first few weeks was how free I was.
I had just graduated from Basic Training in the United States Air Force a few months prior and was in probably the best shape of my life. I weighed in at a svelt 190 lbs. and was 6'2 with eyes of blue. I really enjoyed running, walking, tennis, basketball, really all sports. But in Indiana basketball is life. Anyway the thing that probably upset me the most about this whole experience was that my folks did not come down to help me get settled. I know now that they were just selfish people and continue to be pretty selfish. I have 2 kids of my own and could never even dream of not going to their first few days of college with them and helping them to get settled - as long as they will have me.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Bears 48 - Vikings 41
Wow, what a game. Can you believe how well Kyle Orton is playing this season? His decisions and throws are spot on most of the time and he is really leading this team well. It's amazing how, given some time, he can make throws that look impossible. I saw him today thread the needle with a pass that went over the linebacker and in front of a safety right into the TE hands for a touchdown. The TE is Greg Olson. Greg looked pretty amazed after he made the catch too quite honestly. Orton is really starting to get awesome at the same time that Urlacher and friends are starting to show their age? or is it just lack of interest.
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