Football + Basketball

I love this time of year. Football is getting to the nitty-gritty, with high school playoffs, college football getting closer to its conclusion, and the NFL continuing to push towards its playoffs.

Plus, Monday night I got to see the basketball Razorbacks play against Campbellsville, and I thought we looked very good, a lot better than what people are saying about the team.

Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke kind of remind me of Kareem Reid & Pat Bradley, and I think that both are much more athletic than the '95-'99 duo from the upper Northeast were.

I have optimism for the season despite us being very young.

And in other news, isn't it awesome when a 2-8 team who finished No. 6 in its division makes the playoffs? That's the case with the Van Buren Pointers, who will play at Fort Smith Northside next Friday night.

Should be an absolute shallacking with Northside putting up at least 45 points.

Fayetteville plays at Little Rock Catholic. Probably a loss for the Purple Dogs, but a win would put them at Fort Smith Southside, a team that Fayetteville has already beat and seems to have its number.

We'll see how next Friday shakes out, with Arkansas opening the season against SE Louisiana.

Stress, Stress, Stress, its NUTTs

School is stressing me the heck out right now. I didn't want this to happen, but it did, and now I'm behind the eight-ball in terms of work I need to get done and I'm going to have to work from beind for the rest of the semester.

In case you didn't hear, I moved out at the beginning of this month. I wish I would have posted on that whole thing, but as I just alluded to, I've been stressed and busier than ever.

Oh yeah, and Houston Dale Nutt is coming back to town this weekend. That ought to be very interesting. I think the atmosphere will be one of the best in Razorback Stadium history. It's a huge game for both teams.

I'm going to try and start posting more often again, but I may fall back on that. We'll see how it goes.

Four downs with the Hogs

When you come up short by a margin of 101-24 in consecutive weekends, it’s never fun to be a fan of the team that is on the losing end.
But there is no reason to bail out now.
Most logical Razorback fans knew that Bobby Petrino would not pull a Houston Nutt, and get off to an 8-0 start with someone else’s players.
Let’s play ‘Four Downs,’ and see if we can’t determine why things aren’t putting us in Hog Heaven this football season, and maybe give some prognostications as to whether things will get any better and when.

1) For starters, Nutt left Petrino very little to work with. All of Nutt’s talent is either in the NFL or doing something else.
And while Nutt is busy knocking off top five teams on the road with the ‘Wild Rebel,’ Petrino and the Hogs are in Fayetteville and Austin, Tex., respectively, getting roasted.
With more Southeastern Conference heavyweights in Florida and Auburn to deal with over the course of the next two weeks, things don’t like they’re going to improve in a hurry, as some fans would no doubt want.

2) Secondly, we don’t have a true quarterback in our stable right now.
As much as you want to make an excuse for Casey Dick and how much “improvement” he has made, I’m frankly not seeing it.
Granted, he’s not getting the best protection in the world, but some of the decisions he made against both Alabama and Texas are the kinds of decisions that quarterbacks learn how to handle in junior high school.
Dick doesn’t look like he ever got the message.
While Tyler Wilson may be talented and may be able to run the offense, putting a true freshman in a spread-oriented system against SEC defenses is going to lead not only to tough losses, but could also get Wilson hurt.

3) Thirdly, do we have a run defense?
If so, where?
Alabama and Texas are both very talented football teams, teams that could very likely be in the Bowl Championship series equation at the end of the season.
But our defense has made offensive backs Glen Coffee and Colt McCoy look like Darren McFadden and Felix Jones overnight.
The Hogs surrendered a 62-yard touchdown run to a third-string tailback from Alabama. McCoy ran for 84 yards on 9 CARRIES, and it wasn’t like Arkansas was making him have to run it, because he only had two incompletions Saturday.
And the constant missed tackles. I know defensive coordinator Willy Robinson has been preaching to the defense to show heart, wrap up and use good technique, but it sounds like it’s easier said than done.
Once it comes to a game, it seems like that heart and technique is going out the window.
Until that changes, teams are going to run all over the Hogs.

4) Finally, our special teams aren’t being very special.
I was very excited when Alex Tejada was offered a scholarship to kick for the Razorbacks.
And the Springdale native had a pretty solid freshman campaign, but he’s been anything but solid this year.
Missing yet another field goal Saturday put him in Petrino’s doghouse even more so, and it looks like he’s decided to go with Shay Haddock for the rest of the year.
Nevertheless, this season is far from over but I don’t think this year is where strides are going to be made.
Strides are going to be made in recruiting and developing the current talent from the experience they will gain this year.
Until then, grind out the rest of the season like the Hogs undoubtedly will.

4th Quarter until I have to leave.

12:56-ULM kick to ARK.

1st-and-10, own 20. Dick 76 pass to D.J. Williams. 1st down.

1st-and-goal, ULM 4. Smith 4 TD run. ULM 27-20. Haddock PAT. ULM 27-21.

12:19-ARK kick to ULM.

1st-and-10, own 31. False Start.

1st-and-15, own 26. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-15, own 26. McNeal 4 run.

3rd-and-12, own 30. False Start.

3rd-and-16, own 25. Ineligible receiver. Penalty declined. Lancaster 10 pass to Zacharie.

4th-and-6, own 25. ULM punt to ARK. Fair Catch.

10:48 ARK

1st-and-10, own 26. Smith 9 run.

2nd-and-1, own 35. Smith 4 run. 1st down.

1st-and-10, own 39. Dick throws incomplete(through Joe Adams' hands)

2nd-and-10, own 39. Dick throws incomplete(through London Crawford's hands)

3rd-and-10, own 39. Dick 11 pass to D.J. Williams. 1st down.

1st-and-10, 50. Dick throws incomplete (over Smith's head).

2nd-and-10, 50. Dick throws complete to Smith for loss of 4 yards.

3rd-and-14, own 46. Dick 7 keeper. 4th down.

4th-and-7, ULM 47. ARK punt to ULM.

ULM 7:23

1st-and-10, own 20. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-10, own 20. Lovett 5 run.

4th Quarter, ULM drive (cont.)

15:00 START OF 4TH QUARTER.

1st-and-10, ARK 30. McNeal 2 run.

2nd-and-8, ARK 28. Lancaster sacked by ARK Jake Bequette.

3rd-and-12, ARK 32. Lancaster 9 pass to McCoy. 4th down.

4th-and-3, ARK 23. 43 yard FG by Gener is good. ULM 27-14.

3rd Quarter, ULM drive

2:04 ARK kick to ULM.

1st-and-10, own 47. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-10, own 47. Lovett 8 run.

3rd-and-2, ARK 45. Lancaster 4 pass to Doyle. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ARK 41. Lovett 3 run.

2nd-and-7, ARK 38. Lancaster 8 pass to McNeal. 1st down. END OF 3RD QUARTER. ULM 24, ARKANSAS 14.

3rd Quarter, ARK drive

6:11-ULM kick to ARK.

1st-and-10, own 31. Dick sacked for loss of 7.

2nd-and-17, own 24. Dick 33 pass to Joe Adams. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ULM 42. Dick 14 pass to London Crawford. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ULM 28. Smith 4 run.

2nd-and-7, ULM 24. Dick 17 pass to Smith. 1st down.

1st-and-goal, ULM 7. Smith 4 run.

2nd-and-goal, ULM 3. 5 yd penalty.

2nd-and-goal, ULM 8. Dick throws incomplete.

3rd-and-goal, ULM 8. Dick 8 pass to D.J. Williams for TD. ULM 24-12. 2 PT try pass to D.J. Williams is good. ULM 24-14.

3rd Quarter, ULM drive

8:03, ULM takes over at own 47.

1st-and-10, own 47. Lancaster to McCall 40 yards. 1st down.

1st-and-goal, ARK 7. McNeal 6 run.

2nd-and-goal, ARK 1. Frazier no gain.

3rd-and-goal. ARK 1. Frazier 1 run for TD. ULM 23-6. PAT good. ULM 24, ARK 6.

3rd Quarter, ARK drive

10:19-ULM kick to ARK.

1st-and-10, own 27. Dick to Miller 17 yards. 1st down.

1st-and-10, own 45. Smith 4 run.

2nd-and 6, own 49. Dick to Smith 4 yards.

3rd-and-2, ULM 47. Penalty 5 yds. (Substitution infraction, 12 men on field)

3rd-and-7, own 48. Dick keeps for 5 yds.

4th-and-2, ULM 47. Smith dropped for loss. TO on downs.

3rd Quarter, ULM drive

15:00-Arkansas kicks off to ULM.

ULM: 1st-and-10, own 22. 9-yd gain by ULM RB.

2nd-and-1, own 31. Lancaster to Zacharie 17 yards. 1st down.

1st-and-10 own 48. Lancaster sacked at own 44.

2nd-and-14, own 44. Lancaster to Humphrey 14 yards. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ARK 42. Lovett 2 run.

2nd-and-8, ARK 40. Lancaster throws incomplete.

3rd-and-8, ARK 40. Lancaster to McNeal 6 yards. 4th down.

4th-and-1, ARK 33. Lovett 2 run. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ARK 31. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-10, ARK 31, Lovett dropped for loss by ARK Sheppard.

3rd-and-12, ARK 33, Lancaster 33 TD pass to McCall. TD. ULM 16-6. PAT good. ULM 17-6.

Halftime Notes

Any hope of forgetting the debacle last week in barely getting by Western Illinois can't be rid of the minds of Razorback fans in attendance tonight as Arkansas is again losing 10-6 at the half to a lower-tier opponent.

Michael Smith has really been the only highlight in a half filled with woes.

These woes include:

Alex Tejada missing two field goals AND an extra point AND kicking it out-of-bounds AND getting a delay of game penalty on a kick-off.

Arkansas getting a punt blocked, giving ULM excellent field position.

Casey Dick getting sacked or dropped for losses numerous times.

London Crawford actually hauling a ball in inside the 5-yard line but getting offensive pass interference.

Dick only getting 74 yards through the air.

Defense having to be on the field too long.

Arkansas is re-taking the field for the second half, and there will be some changes to how the blog is presented in the second half. It will be a play-by-play synopsis by quarter.

Arkansas better conjure some more second half magic or it's going to be a loss they needed to avoid, especially with the Texas Longhorns looming next week.

Fifth Drive

ULM took advantage of the blocked punt and great field position by converting a field goal and lead Arkansas 10-6 with 3:48 remaining in the 1st half.

Arkansas probably needs to use this drive before the half is over to put a touchdown on the board and at least have some kind of momentum to come out to after intermission.

On the kickoff, Dennis Johnson tried to tiptoe up the sideline but stepped out at the 5-yard line, forcing Arkansas to drive 95 yards if they want to put it in the end zone.

1st-and-10 from its own 5. False start. Half the distance to the goal. 1st down repeated, Smith gets little gain.

On 2nd down, Smith carried for a big gain to his own 27. Dick was sacked on the the next play, however.

2nd and 16 from own 21. Dick gets sacked and Dick continued to get hit behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a punt and ULM takes over with :56 remaining.

Other than Michael Smith's running, Arkansas had done nothing this first half on offense and whenever they have done something, they have found a way to negate it.

Fourth Drive

Arkansas gave up a touchdown but held fairly strong down inside its 5-yard line. ULM is up 7-6 with 8:12 left in the 1st half.

The kick was a touchback, so Arkansas starts at its own 20.

Dick went deep on 1st down, but the pass was tipped by a Warhawk defender.

On 2nd down, Michael Smith carried for no gain.

3rd-and-10 at own 20. Dick is sacked and dropped at his own 14, forcing a Hog punt.

ULM managed to block the Razorback punt, and ULM has the ball near the Arkansas 20 yard line.

Hog fans hoping for better things from last week aren't getting their wish.

Third Drive

Arkansas began at its own 45, and Dick handed off to Michael Smith who then, on a reverse, handed off to Joe Adams who got 9 yards and ended the 1st quarter.

Smith carried on the next play and that moved the chains.

Dick scrambled for his life on 1st down and got two yards, bringing up 2nd-and-8 from the ULM 40.

Dick threw to Joe Adams on the play, and Adams fumbled, but wisely fell on it after ULM couldn't control the live ball.

3rd-and-1 from the ULM 33, and Michael Smith goes over the right side for a first down. Smith has been running strongly during this first half of play.

On 1st-and-10 from the ULM 22, Dick was almost sacked but threw it to London Crawford who threaded up the middle for 9 yards to the ULM 13.

Smith almost scored on the next play but he fell just short of the goal line. The play then went under further review. On the review, he was credited a touchdown as they said the ball broke the plane.

Tejada, however, missed the PAT, as his kicking woes just continue to pile up in this one.

Arkansas leads 7-0 with 11:40 remaining in the first half.

Second Drive

Arkansas didn't look the best on its first defensive possession, but Jake Bequette batted down a pass at the line and forced a ULM punt.

The Razorbacks begin at their own 22.

Michael Smith carried over right end for 2 yards on the first play.

Dick threw to Lucas Miller on 2nd-and-8 but Miller let it go through his hands, bringin gup and 3rd-and-long situation.

Dick managed to use his legs yet again to get a first down for Arkansas at its own 36.

Smith carried over the right side for the Hogs for 2, bringing up 2nd-and-8 again at its 38.

Smith then took a delayed handoff with a gaping hole up the middle into Warhawk territory 24 yards to the ULM 38.

Smith, on his next carry went 29 yards and bounced outside, going down to the ULM 9.

Inserted is De'Anthony Curtis, the freshman from Camden, who got 4 yards to bring up 2nd-and-goal from the 5.

Curtis got a carry again but was met at the hand-off, losing 3 yards.

3rd-and-goal from the 8. Dick is hit as he is thrown and the ball sailed high on him, bringing up 4th down.

Tejada comes in to try another field goal. The attempt is again no good, and the highly-acclaimed sophomore from Springdale is having immense struggles.

Opening Drive

Michael Smith took a hand-off five yards for Arkansas after Elton Ford returned the opening kick to its own 19.

Dick then threw complete to D.J. Williams for a first down up to its own 45.

Dick rolled out to the right under pressure on the next play and got a first down but lost his shoe in the process.

After a couple of busted plays with Michael Smith in both the air and on the ground, Joe Adams hauled in a pass for a first down and got to the ULM 30.

Dick then threw a pretty fade ball to London Crawford for 27 yards, but they called offensive pass interference on Crawford, bringing the ball back to midfield.

Smith then took a carry 8 yards over right end.

Joe Adams then caught a dump pass for 4 yards over the left side to bring up 3rd-and-18 at the ULM 38.

Adams came up with another catch on that play and got 10 yards, which wasn't enough for a first down, but it set up a Alex Tejada field goal try that missed from 45 yards.

Opening Drive

Kickoff upon us

Arkansas is about to head onto the field to take on the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.

The Razorback captains today are Casey Dick, Jonathan Luigs, Malcolm Sheppard, and Jamar Love.

Arkansas won the toss and will receive the football.

Live from Little Rock

I figured I'd blog for Arkansas' battle with Louisiana-Monroe here in War Memorial Stadium since I'm in the press box anyway.

So we are currently 40 minutes or so away from kickoff, and the Arkansas players seem to be walking with more swagger and confidence about them as they took the field to raucous cheers from a excited Little Rock crowd.

I'll update when we get closer to kick off.

Little Rock

Getting Started

This weekend, the Arkansas Razorbacks travel to War Memorial Stadium and Little Rock, Arkansas to face the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.

It is one of two games in the state capital this season.

Arkansas survived an opening-week scare when they scathed by Western Illinois 28-24 this past Saturday, way off my prediction of 47-23.

It didn't help that some of Arkansas' most seasoned veterans, i.e. Michael Smith, Jerell Norton, Elston Forte and Wendel Davis, were forced to the sidelines.

At least they got the victory.

But I think the Razorbacks are going to wake up this week and play a lot better football; the thing is, though, is that there isn't much time to get a whole lot better because a Murderer's Row schedule is upon the Razorbacks after Saturday's game.

My prediction for Saturday is 38-19 Arkansas.

Clemson flops

With so much hype and publicity heading into the season, no team fell more flat on their face in their first game of the season then the Clemson Tigers did.

In the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Alabama spanked Clemson 34-10, furthering SEC dominance.

I wasn't the least surprised, because Alabama has a lot of talent and I knew Clemson was not that good.

Game Day

I figured with this thing that I'd blog for every game day and talk about mostly Arkansas but really all of college football, so here goes nothing.

Anyway, as we all know, Arkansas opens up tomorrow night with Western Illinois. I expect it to be fun to watch from the beginning, and for the Razorbacks to put up plenty of points. I'd like to think that Casey Dick goes for over 275 yards passing and around 4 touchdowns.

I'm interested to see how Arkansas' defense stacks up against a top-tier tailback like Herb Donaldson. Now, granted, Donaldson doesn't face the rigors of SEC defenses every fall, but he can run the football, and Arkansas will have to stop it.

I'll give a score prediction for every game day, and my prediction for tomorrow is Arkansas 47, Western Illinois 23.

8 Medals and all things Olympics

Michael Phelps etched his name in sports history when his team won their relay Saturday night, giving Phelps his 8th gold medal of the 2008 Olympic games.

Phelps was simply remarkable the entire week and showed the world what greatness is all about, competing at a higher level than any other athlete ever.

He has now become an icon in sports, and I can't tell you how many Facebook statuses I read which said something to the likeness of: Phelps is amazing! or I love Phelps or Phelps=Gold or one by a girl which read: Phelps + Me = Marriage.

Watching him compete was a treat to all and made the Olympics what it should be, showcasing the world's greatest athletes. And man was he great.

Gay disappoints

I felt bad for Tyson Gay as he didn't get a chance to compete for Olympic gold in the 100 meters. Instead, it went to the Jamaican superstar Bolt, who can absolutely fly. He looks like he's not even running hard and that everyone else is simply hauling just to keep up with him. I've got a Jamaican buddy who's going to let me hear it when I see him next because he said "Bolt will not lose," when I said Gay would win.

Redeem Team on track

The U.S. men's basketball team continues to shine and continues to illustrate why we are the best in the world at hoops, as we pummeled Spain today.

LeBron, Kobe and Dwyane Wade are a little too much for any team to handle, and I see no roadblock in the path to the gold for the basketballers.

School starts in 8 days!

Narrow Escape and Getting Closer

As a young child, I had a tendency for freak accidents. I poured laundry detergent in my eyes when I was 1, ran my leg into a car exhaust pipe when I was 3, and had a rock thrown by a friend pierce my forehead when I was 8. I also had my lip severed(and subsequently had plastic surgery) when I was 13 on a trampoline.

But today on a job, I luckily didn't remove a toe from my foot.

While putting a wooden table into a truck, Evan, my co-worker, was utilizing the lift button and we were waiting to get lined up with the lift of the truck so we could scoot it in.

However, Evan didn't realize my foot wasn't out of the way and kept lifting up, pinning my left toes between the lift and the lip of the truck. He finally stopped the lift and I got them out and I attempted to "walk it off" but that solved nothing so I looked at it and my left toenail was gone.

It was a nasty sight and getting it patched up with a pair of shots wasn't fun but it could've been worse.

Meanwhile, school starts in 17 days. The first football game is 22 days away. I'm stoked for both.

And who else is tired of Brett Favre?

Dog Days...and a little golf

I've lived in Fayetteville my entire life, and been through some hot weather before, but this week has just felt like one massive heat wave.

Now I know I've spent every day outside working and what not, but still, the humidity is almost unbearable at times. It almost makes me wish that summer were over.

However, I scoff at that. I love the summer and while this summer has been more different than any other in years past, I've still had a great time.

My birthday was this past Sunday, and I turned 19. It's hard to believe I'm already 19, but I'm not complaining. Almost to 21, which is kind of scary.

In other news, I've been playing a lot of golf lately. Golf was something that I've liked since I was a toddler, and I was really into it from about 4th or 5th grade until about 9th, but just wasn't interested in it during high school.

I hope to spend most of my weekend on the course, and I might have one of my friends from church, Krista, accompany me on Sunday, because she has never played before and I want to introduce her to the game.

On a side note, how about Padraig Harrington repeating as British Open champion? I know you will say it's not legit because Tiger wasn't in the tournament, but Tiger didn't win it the last time it was at Birkdale and who's to say he would have won had he played.

Tiger is the best player in the world, yes, but he is human, and links courses in Open Championship play have given him trouble before. I'm not liking how some people are knocking Harrington for achieving a very difficult feat on two very difficult courses in '07 and '08.

NCAA FOOTBALL 09!!

EA Sports' annual installment of NCAA Football hit stores at midnight on Tuesday and I went a little bit later than that to grab my copy on the XBOX 360 with Darren McFadden on the cover.

The gameplay is about the same as usual, pretty good, but the graphics are exceptionally good. One thing I have definitely noticed in playing the game is that it feels like you are more into the game now than in years past.

I'm about to start a dynasty with Arkansas and see how far Bobby Petrino can take the Razorbacks on a game console.

From the penthouse to the outhouse

I was at work today unloading copiers into a storage facility when I got a text that said "Matt Jones is dumb" from a friend, so I replied and said 'Why?'

I got my answer when my friend subsequently called me and informed me that MJ, the former Arkansas star and Jacksonville Jaguar receiver, had about six grams of cocaine on him last night in a Dickson St. parking lot.

Why Jones would be in that parking lot that late at night is beyond me? If he was going to do cocaine, why would he do it there, of all places, at that time of night?

It was almost like he was asking to get caught. I'm still flummoxed by what motive he had to do it. Maybe it was a release for him or just something he did around his friends, but was he selling it?

If so, why? He has more than enough money. It's something I'm going to be perplexed over for quite some time.

On a lighter note, maybe Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will use this opportunity to bring another Jones in who's looking to get over the stigma of trouble(i.e. Pacman).

Lately It's Been Hectic

Well, it's been a while since I last posted on here, but a lot of things have changed since then.

I got to be a counselor at Green Valley for the first time ever and that went extremely well. I miss everybody from there and hope everyone from my cabin will want to come back next year.

Meanwhile, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games, which wasn't what I was hoping for or expecting, but if any team was to do it, it was Boston. They had a magnificent season and deserve the title.

Also in sporting news, how about Fresno St. in the College World Series? They came out of nowhere and are now National Champions. No team has ever lost more games and won a championship, but now the Bulldogs own that honor. It was a fun series to watch.

And today, my summer journalism class got over with. I kind of slacked off near the end with a good grade in the class already and with being at camp for a week, but hopefully I did well enough to get an 'A' and if not that at least a 'B.'

Anyway, I have to start working on Monday from 8 to 5 every day of the week. I'm not necessarily looking forward to it, but I am anxious to start making money.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Another missed opportunity

When I was awoken by my father Saturday afternoon to learn that Big Brown had indeed finished LAST in the Belmont Stakes, I wasn't at all surprised.

I figured that the horse wouldn't win simply because every other horse that has tried recently has failed. And yet again, we saw another failure.

But sometimes, don't we all miss opportunities to do things simply because we go with the flow and everyone else is doing the same thing. We miss opportunities due to the fact of not caring or ignorance, etc.

This summer, I want to seize every opportunity that I can and make the best of it. I feel that in the past, I maybe haven't always done what I could have or put aside things that I could have accomplished.

Oh yeah, and Game 2 of Lakers/Celtics is tonight. Kobe needs to rebound and get his shooting back to par.

NBA Finals

By virtue of their Game 6 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, the resurrected Boston Celtics earned a spot in the NBA Finals opposite the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers.

For the first time since 1987, the storied rivalry will consummate in a world championship-deciding series.

Growing up, ESPN would constantly show old highlights and complete games from the 1980's battles that the Celtics and Lakers would stage.

In three meetings in the decade, Los Angeles won twice, while Boston won once. Both teams won 8 of the 10 titles won during the time period, with only Philadelphia in 1983 and Detroit in 1989 being the exceptions, and they both had to beat the Lakers to do it.

Just to think of all the great players who have took part in this rivalry, such as Chamberlain, Magic, Bird, Russell, Havlicek, West, Abdul-Jabbar, etc., and now Bryant and Co. battles KG, Pierce and Ray Allen in order to grab the NBA's most coveted prize.

I'm saying that the Lakers will bring home their 15th NBA title, bringing them one closer to Boston's all-time leading 16 championships.

Oh yeah, and it will go seven games. It's too big not to.

Looking Ahead

The summer, whether I want to believe it or not, is right in front of me now, and there are a lot of things I plan to hopefully accomplish over the next few months:



1) Get an 'A' in my summer class



I'm taking a fundamentals of journalism course that I wanted to take during the spring semester, but didn't pass all parts of a required examination to get into the class. However, the journalism department has now done away with the exam, freeing me to now proceed with the class.



So I get to spend my Monday-Friday from 11 to 12:20 everyday in this class. I need to do well in it because my GPA has slipped after a lackluster academic performance in the spring.



2) Be a counselor at my church camp



For the first time since the summer of 2000, I won't be attending Green Valley Bible Camp as a camper, but I have, in fact, ascended to the role of counselor during the week of June 15-21.



Every year, I have a wonderful time at camp, and I expect the 2008 rendition to be no different despite having to leave everyday to attend my summer class, which doesn't wrap up until June 27th.



3) Work to make that cash



Last year around this time, I was still being a host at Outback Steakhouse in Springdale, earning $2.63 an hour plus meager tipshare to stand at the door and welcome 'mates' to our "No Rules, just Right" restaurant. All the while, trying to put up with a pathetic newly-hired manager.



As you can see, I was quite tired of the job and moved on when a pair of newspaper opportunities arose.



However, the newspaper biz won't be nearly as busy as it is during the school year, so I had to find a job.



Luckily, my dad knows the owner of a local moving company, Admiral Moving Services, and I should begin working an 8-to-5 shift on June 30 or July 1 most likely until the end of the summer.



If for some reason the job falls through, I'm going to definitely have to scramble to find work. Anyone who knows of job opportunities should feel free to contact me at daoxford@uark.edu or look up my Facebook or MySpace profile.



4) Find a girl to settle down with



Lately I've really been wanting to just find a down-to-earth girl who doesn't put up with drama who I can settle down with.



I know college is supposed to be about "hooking up with chicks dude" but as fun as that sounded in high school, I really don't see the fascination now.



Granted, I like an attractive girl just as much as the next guy, but the way that a lot of guys around here treat beautiful girls is perplexing.'



Frankly, I just would like a relationship that lasts longer than "talking" or "hanging out" or "hooking up." There's a girl that I definitely am looking at and is a viable candidate, but I don't know if she's all that interested in me. We'll see as time progresses.

Getting Started

Well, I figured since a good majority of my friends were blogging, I would do the same.

So here is thy wonderful blog.

I guess I will use this blog to chronicle things that happen to me and post other interesting tidbits that I uncover from day to day.

These kinds of things could range anywhere from sports to work, what I had for dinner, what I'm going to do this weekend, etc.

I don't really know how often I will post, but probably as often as I can or see fit.

Anyway, feel free to leave comments.