1 Down 1 To Go

Hey everyone... I know its been a while! I don't believe it, but it seems like it was Thanksgiving was only yesterday and I'm already coming back to Herndon tonight! I'm going to be honest and say that I'm not ready. Right now I'm just chillin, probably gonna check the facebooks, LJ's/blogs, etc. to see whats going down after I write my own, then eat, pack, and rollout.

Anyways, I'll fill you in on what's been going down. Housing-wize, My roommate David and I pretty much do everything together(no homo) with his older brother Jeff who lives in Ireland House. Meanwhile, David and I discovered that Powhatan is the best place to live. Ever. A lot of people don't like it due to it being run down. A lot of the preppy/Frat/Sorority/Boring people enjoy the nicer ones, which is fine by me. Powhatan has no security guard, no cameras everywhere, the RA's often live in a different building so they never check on you, and you dont have to use your ID card to get into your building. I'm not saying I get into trouble or anything like that, but it is really hard to have any type of fun at any other of the dorms on Campus. So I think we're gonna stay here our Junior year too.

Gaming-wize, I've been playing A LOT of Goldeneye 007. The 3 of us made it our Goal to beat every single level on 00 Agent by Christmas Brake. We almost didn't make it because we got stuck on the hardest level ever: Aztec. Aztec is a bonus level from the Bond movie "Moonraker". Not only do you have to get past guards with high powered gunz, they have like 99% accuracy and you have to kill Jaws(who has much more hp then 006 on Cradle)! We spent like 1.5 hr blocks of time (separately) trying to beat it. Seriously. But I finally got lucky and made it! That felt so good. :] We've also been playing a lot of Mario Golf, and my hand has blisters on it from the 1v3 Mario Party mini-game Paddle Battle. Blitz 2000 has also become a popular one. David doesn't like playing Mario Party with me anymore due to my uncanny ability to win at mini games. xP Here are a few phone screens:

Mario Golf has inspired us to play golf ourselves, and we go to the range every Wednesday for Student/Cheap golf day. We plan to start hitting the range 2 times a week next semester! We also hit the putting practice area cause it's free. Jessica has also been good though. Shes meeting more of my friends down here and has been generally accepted. The only problem is that we end up doing the same stuff a lot, her parents are strict so she can't visit on weekends, and she texts me so many times a day to tell me shes doing nothing. But you have to make some sacrifices I guess. I mean she has watched me play games for hours during the little time we have together, and I enjoy the time we spend together so I can't really talk. I just hope the situation improves a little(especially with her parents) but otherwise we are good to go.

I also got a random package from my Church... and it was a box of random stuff from the kids there. I feel bad because I haven't been to my church in like 4 years... yet my name is still on the list as a kid who used to go to Youth Group so they still send me stuff. Ahh well. Free Gum and Hot Chocolate! But seriously, I have been having so much fun lately I can't even tell you. I've only been to a few parties, but I like keeping the party with my crew anyways. It's going to be hard to come home this time because I am really going to miss college life. :[

Haha, this is totally different story from my freshman year though... so I guess that's good.

Here's my long overdue update, but I can't wait to see you guys and for everyone to return home!

~Andy

Mind Games

Episode 30: Dealing with Stuck Emotions
Hey guys! So much has been going on lately, I'd say mostly for the good. However, I've been doing a terrible job of keeping up with everyone. I don't feel too bad though, as LAMATB hasn't been nearly full of energy as it used to be and I know everyone else has been terribly busy. I don't want to get into to many details, but basically my grades are great, I'm hanging out with people all of the time, I've played countless holes of Mario Golf, got myself a nice girlfriend from my public speaking class, my major change has been working out well, and my hair is a bit longer now. But I'll go more in depth on all that another time.

Anyways, I wanted to talk a little bit about the mind today. I've always liked talking about it, and have always been interested in how people think before they do things... and writing a speech on Video Game violence has brought some of that back to me. But I actually want to talk about what the mind retains against your will. Emotions your brain sticks with and plays games with you, and unfortunatly doesn't give itself a solution.

Here are a couple of examples:
My roommate David had the best girlfriend in the world in High School. He made the hugest mistake in the world and lost her for good. Yet to this day he still tries to talk to her, thinks about her a lot, and send her things on her birthday. His brain can comprehend that she wont take him back, yet the emotions stuck in his brain wont let it go.

Another example would be the opposite, one where the emotion is bottled up. Some examples of that include getting with a girl and have another admit that they like you right after(that has happened to me this fall as well) and just constantly thinking about something or someone.

It's basically just the constant hope that something will happen dispite all odds that keeps things stuck there.

I have looked for many possible solutions to this, for as chill and carefree as I claim to be, I still get this problem on occasion, so I was trying to find a way to tackle it for good. Unfortunately, the only solution in the end is time and realism. In the case of emotional attachment here is the issue: You can try to make it seem like everything is normal and continue on, but that tends to make things harder. You can try to quit cold turkey, but you will always find yourself looking at there facebook or talking to them eventually or wondering how there doing. And that just seems childish. Trust me, I've seen it from a lot of the people here at ODU, so I'm guessing it happens to almost everyone.

I'm not going to talk about my own dealings with this, just because it's unnecessary to do so. Because honestly, unlike a lot of other people I can control it very well, so it doesn't really effect my life. That's where the realism comes in. Just be real about the situation and move on. You have school, and friends, and your life to live so who cares. I understand that some people cant do this, leaving time as the only painful option left. But I just thought I'd let you know that somewhere, way way in the back of my head, what I really want is and might always be there, poking it's head out at random times. But you can't always have what you want, you can only hope for it to turn out that way. And I certainly hope it does. As does anyone else when they meet someone new that they like or lose someone they held close, or made any mistake they wished they could take back.

Strong feelings about anything effect people really hard these days, especially in our age group, and really especially with members of our crew. So I guess it's no wonder a lot of people seem to be having depression in record numbers these days. I've never really had a mental breakdown, or feelings so out of control where I have to write about them, but they are there sometimes. You just have to be an adult about it. So stay cool at keep moving on, because life usually does turn out to be much better then the trivial things that are stuck in our brains and plague us today. And who knows... your dream and mine might come true someday, just try not to think about it for now!
~Andy

The New Generation

Episode 29: vs the Traditional.
Hey everyone! It's almost been a month since I've posted here... I've been more busy then ever and it's finally slowed down! I feel really disconnected from you guys since my birthday, I haven't even talked to Andrew in a minute. But I don't feel too bad, it seems like everyone has been a little busy since nothings going down on LAMATB. I hope to catch up with everyone soon! Anyways, I just my Absentee Ballot in the Mail yesterday, and I'm about to vote right now! I hope you all are voting too.

This post is about our schools slow but huge construction project switch from a Commuter to a much less commuter school(although the hours for the cafeteria are set up more for commuters then ever which makes me mad). So I talked to someone high up named Billy Cook about it, who explained the switch. She said it was because of the new Generation of students bring everything with them...


Traditional Student: Comes to school for the purpose of going to school.
New Student: Tries to bring everything with them, there car, cell phones, jobs, etc.
Schools Solution: Build "The Village" area, which provides a lot more things to do and more places to eat on campus, also provides many more on campus student jobs.

Traditional Student: Goes to undergraduate college for 4 years.
New Student: Today's students mostly finish in 5-6years, a surprising number of them switching majors as well.
Schools Solution: Build a ton of new dorms in combination with the village. This way, people can be on campus and stay on campus. The traditional student came to ODU just to go to school and get finished in 4 years. The school is trying to help students focus more on school while accommodating to there new style.

Traditional Student: Had parties and events on campus.
New Student: Travels to other colleges on major holidays and weekends. Alot of people even just go home on weekends.
Schools Solution: Construction of the football field for our 09' football team, and more campus sponsored events from our Student Activities Council. This should hopefully keep things more at home so students don't have to go to other colleges or home to find where the parties at, we can have a good time at ODU!

I really hope some of these things work, so even I can be more focused at school. I also hope the football team keeps kids from going to other colleges or home on the weekends, cause it does really get dead around here some weekends because so many people leave...
But anyways, this is what our school is doing to become one of the most baller schools in VA!
~Andy

Late Night Ramblings...

Number 6: Is Number 6.

So I'm kinda mad at myself for not keeping up with this blog! XD
I had a list of topics I was going to talk about, and when I was going to post them... I should have been though like 2, almost 3 more by now.

But it has been an extremely boring evening, so I've just been doing a ton of stuff from chatting with a ton of people on AIM, surfing facebook, and watching more stuff on YouTube. And now I thought I'd be a little more in the mood for writing about whats been going down at ODU lately.

1. Me/Class-Related
I've been chill. I really like my Public Speaking class. I can't wait to give my speech on how to play Texas Hold Em! Other people have messed up but I really think I'm gonna crush them. Some people have been really funny. XD
Physics has been a real pain in the ass though. And Math and Accounting are going alright.
I've also been walking around with a toothpick in my mouth more often. It's not because I'm trying too look foolish or cool or anything like that, it just makes me feel better. Like, chilling with a toothpick makes me feel cool and relaxed and carefree(or it might just have to do with him having a box of 1000 and not knowing what else to do with them XD). I've also been seeing this girl named Jessica from my Public Speaking class. We might even be going to dinner this weekend. But I still don't know what I'm gonna do about that. So confused. I've also been obsessed with rapper Notorious BIG lately. I'm always listening to his songs, they are so chill and how he tells storys are so good! But a lot of my friends are Tupac fans so I'm always defending myself... :P

2. School-related.
I've been really interested lately in all of the changes and efforts happening at ODU... like we have football coming, like a few new dorms coming(some kids are living at the Sheraton right now curtsy of ODU since one of the buildings wasn't finished on time), and a ton of other new stuff on campus that students need. I actually became really interested, and was able to find out someone who was able to answer my inquiry about why we were increasing the school size and putting more stuff on campus. Her name is Billy Cook, shes an academic access advisor that explained why they were doing it. A) They are trying to make it a little less of a commuter school and B)She explained in detail about today's students and traditional old school students. It was really interesting. I will definitely have a post about that soon.

Anyways, thanks for killing some of my boredom blog! :P
Peace everyone.
~Andy

Confidence

Number 30: Theories on Confidence
So as I rolled back to ODU this semester, I feel like a slightly different person. I have definitely been making more female friends this semester, which makes a nicer balance instead of just having a bunch of male friends. I couldn't really figure out why at first, because the only thing different about last year and this year is that I have longer hair now. My roommate David noticed also, but thought that the hair wasn't it. "You know what else you're doing this semester that you didn't do last semester?" "No, whats that?" "You drink a glass of milk every time we go to the cafeteria, I think that's it man." So, my love of milk is bringing me more attention? I don't think so. But David does, he now also drinks at least one glass of milk every time we eat. :P
Anyhow, I think it's confidence. I have just been talking to them like I would anyone else, and it really works. I think it just took me time to realize that this isn't high school, and messing up wouldn't knock other girls out. They don't seem to gossip as much here, and there are so many more to choose from. So it has been easier for me and it's working. I know it's easier said then done, but if you're a girl or guy looking to talk to someone, just do it! It's surprising how cool it works.

However.....

Confidence comes with responsibility. There are already 2 girls that like me right now for some reason, one of them quite a lot. I just got back to college, and so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for right now. I didn't really expect this to happen and I don't know what I want. Well actually... I know exactly what I want, but it's probably not going to happen, putting me back in this unsure position. But I digress, wouldn't want this to become an emo post. Anyways, just be careful to not get ahead of yourself, because if your just discovering confidence for the first time, it can be really hard to manage. Also, don't be too confident. There are a few girls and guys that like that, but it doesn't work that much.
So, just simply talk to them and see what happens. You could make an awesome new friend!
Good luck!
~Andy

Rap Has Returned?

Number 29: But Not For Long...
I have been listening to Rap music for a while now. It's not my favorite Genre of music, but it's all my brother listens too and some of the beats and personalities really get to me. However, I'm excited about 2010. Every 10 years, the main Genre of music seems to change. First there was Rock and Roll, then there was Disco, then there was Pop, then Dance, then Hip-Hop today. I am a little worried about Rap staying around forever and continuing to be the forefront of music; I hope it doesn't. My concern arises because Rap and Hip-Hop died a few years ago. They ran out of ideas, still sing about the same thing, sample anything they can because they don't have there own ideas, and Soulja Boy invented nonsensical rap, yet people still continue to listen to this trash. And when I'm talking about rap returning I'm not talking about Jay-Z's new album or the way Overrated Lil' Wayne. I'm talking about a few artists in the game I still respect as well as the ultimate rapper.
~Andy

#1: The Cool Kids
-Why They're awesome: These two guys met each other on Myspace, one a rapper, one a beat maker. They have great lyrics that sound gangsta, but aren't at all! They are also trying to bring the old school style of music back.
-The Music: They have a song called "A little Bit Cooler" where they rap about liking things like playing there Sega, and eating Fruity Pebbles and how there still cooler then all of the gangsters out there. The chorus is them mocking a gangster guy asking questions like "Does that belt say Star Wars? Where your stunna shades at? Why your jeans ain't saggin'?" And there response? "I'm cooler then that guy." They also have a popular song called "'88" And it's all about bringing back the year 1988. Rapping about the year I was born is legit in my book.
"[From Verse 1]So I'm sitting on the couch, holding the remote, Flipping channels. I'm a rebel, eating a bowl Of them fruity pebbles, fruity pebbles, fruity pebbles; How gangsta is that? Not gangsta at all! Aw you judging me dog? [From Verse 2] I'm in the crib, Saturday night, with my sega, thass right, Playing a game of that street fighter, street fighter, street fighter... I guess that makes you think you cooler then me, But any girl you can pull I can pull em with ease"
~The Cool Kids

-Downfall: They follow the old school style a little too much, including there beats. I don't know if you know anything about Old School Rap, but the lyrics were awesome and the beats we're wack. If your used to Timbaland then there beats might be hard to follow.

#2: Devin The Dude
-Why He's Awesome: He is an emerging underground with hilarious raps and also raps with really smooth and relaxing/enjoyable beats. He is also a good lyricist.
-The Music: His music is awesome. Look at Any of his songs on YouTube and you will see that everyone comments on how awesome he is. Almost no haters! It's also funny. He has one song where he pretends to be an Alien named Zeldar from the planet Beldar. He also has one where he pretends to be himself and a redneck where the redneck walks in on Devin recording a new song and finally convinces Devin to join in before they start hitting verses. He also has songs where the beat is smooth and relaxing, yet still extremely listenable and not dumb.

-Downfall: He is a Weed Smoker, so unfortunately he talks about or references it in almost every song. But I'm more of a person who likes beats over lyrics, so I don't really pay attention to it anyways.

#3: Will Smith (lol)
-Why he's Awesome: Is an amazing person, has amazing talent, and never cusses in his songs. He has amazing beats, talks about how wack today's rappers are, and keeps his trashing of women to low or none.
-The Music: Fresh Prince, Miami, Gettin Jiggy With It, Men In Black, Wild Wild West, Boom! Shake the Room, Switch, Party Starter, the list goes on and on.....

-Downfall: Nothing. He is the perfect rapper. Unless you like talking about hoes, money, and cars that is.

Get off the Train!

Number 28: Ego
I'm glad I haven't run into that many people with a huge ego in person. It's just like someone who is no game all talk; and I really don't like it or see the point of it. There are 2 types of Ego; real, and online. Either way it doesn't help anyone.

I can't stand people who have ego in real life. There is almost no situation that requires you to have an ego. I prefer not to brag, and if the time comes, I'll let my actions speak for themselves; not my words. There are all these dudes who claim "yeah I could be with so many girls right now" or "I know I'm the shit" or "Man, you are easy to me." Well then show us already! Because I haven't seen anything. It's even more unfortunate for the people who can back up there talk. For example, Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens has a huge ego, but his football game is good enough to back up his talk. Now however, all you're left with is a self-centered person who not many people like anymore and has done nothing but bring trouble for his coach and his teammates, causing him to switch to many different teams. If ego is your thing or your a fan of it, maybe you should reconsider.

Online ego is ridiculous. This is for people who, in real life, are either made fun of themselves, or wish they could do the same thing in real life. Why would you ever want to taunt people or use bad language to try and make people think you're cool? This just makes no sense and is a complete waste of time. Just even looking at the comments on YouTube video's can show you how many stupid people there really are.

"I shoot the wings off your ego, and watch you skydive."
~Pharell Williams

In early high school some people might have thought I had a bit of one, because I had this personality where I pretended to be cool. However, people who knew me or met me knew it wasn't real and knew that I knew a lot of the things I claimed weren't true or a joke. But I really pushed away from all that. I'm just trying to be me, Andy Hulme, someone who's cool, reliable, and fun to hang with. I really hope that's how I'm seen or can be seen someday... because there is just no place for ego around here.
~Andy