Heard on the Tundra: Tropical Tundra

Tropical Tundra? Really?

When I think of homecoming, I don't jump to the conclusion of breaking out my 6th grade-fad Hawaiian shirt, putting on a lei, and doing a hula dance. Don't get me wrong, homecoming is one of my favorite events on campus, but the theme this year? I think it might be a little weak. Who doesn't love a good use of a little alliteration? I'm just not a fan of the exaggeration.

Sounding negative on this year's theme, may be a result of the non-cooperative wheather we're having at the moment. Givin the fact that we live with frigid temperatures and snow for four to five months, I don't like having tricks played on me. Especially when it involves getting me in the mood for putting "my butt in a lawn chair, toes in the sand, not a worry in the world, a favorite beverage on the way" (a little edited Zac Brown, anyone?). Also, did I mention that my youngest brother is going on a visit this weekend to Flagler College? Yes, it would be the one in St. Augustine, Florida, where he will get to go to the beach between trips to the cafeteria and residence halls. (How ONU is even in competition with Flagler, on my brother's top schools, I don't know?!?)

For all the negativity and sarcasm I've provided in this post, I think I need to put a positive spin on this. Maybe the choice of a Tropical Tundra theme for homecoming, will give us all one last chance to dream about warm, sunny days until Week 8 of Spring Quarter. Yeah, that's it.

Needless to say, homecoming is always a blast. Seeing campus light up with activity from dawn, dusk, and most likely dawn again, is very exciting. Be safe, be well, and get leid!

Stuff you might miss

To all my seniors out there, there are some things I'm not going to miss about being in school. Here's a couple:
1. Homework - when you work, you get to go home and more or less do what you want. Not when we're in school. That's what makes summers so great. You may actually have some free time. Not the kind of free time you make when you should be doing homework.
2. Just forgot what number 2 was - Well I thought I had a list. Mainly homework is what I won't miss.

On that note, on our last year on campus, take time to do some things you won't ever do again. This summer, I started biking. Just riding a bike to ride. It was something I hadn't done since before getting my drivers license. You could kind of call it the Le Tour de Ada, but I don't think this is that impressive. But what I will say it has been fun visiting the grain towers north, south, east and west of Ada. Here are a list of villages/towns I've been on my bike this summer:

Ada
Alger
Dola
Dunkurk
Lafayette
Lima
McGuffey

I still have yet to make it to Kenton and back, but fully intend to ride there and north of Route 30 (not on the same ride of course) before it gets too cold outside. I think we all know that my window of opportunity is closing quickly.

I also intend of going to the Wilson Football Factory "garage sale" and getting some discount Ada merchandise on Saturday. I want a flawed piece of Ada, history. That's right, one of those discounted NFL footballs!

Overall, I'm just encouraging some exploration of Hardin County and the ONU area. Don't miss out on the things that make this area unique - whether or not you plan on coming back after graduation.

Why hello old friend!

When I was little, after I graduated from the bike I used the training wheels with, I had one of the best bikes EVER!! The MUD SLINGER. Metallic grey, red and neon yellow accents, splash guards - man, I tore up my street on that thing. I cannot even tell you how many miles were logged, or tires I went through.

Moving up in the world, in the sixth grade, I got my Huffy Ironman mountain bike. That is the same bike I rode until I could go somewhere else, besides my neighborhood, by driving there. Or so I thought.

Born from necessity last weekend, when I sprained my ankle pretty badly, I was itching to do something to do, other than lie around with an ice pack. Up until last week I was running 3-4 miles on a run 2 or 3 times a week. To solve this dilemma, I braced up my foot last Sunday evening, and hoped on a jalopy of a bike that Corrado found in the trash one day (When I say jalopy, I mean it, it's stuck in gear 12 of 21).

I rode up Main Street to 81 and went East. Round trip distance ended at a 12 mile ride. Not bad for a bum, and still bum ankle.

It was so peaceful. I was exploring parts of Hardin County I would never expect nor intend to see. Being a student in Ada, if like myself, develop a one track mind focusing everything around school. While not a bad thing, some of the subtle beauty is easily missed.

The fun I had on the piece of junk bike, has me wanting to complete my own little Le Tour de Ada. Tonight I made it the next village over. Dola. Scratch that. What's the word for a town smaller than a village? Dwelling? PO Box? Either way, I saw the next big grain tower and rode to it and back. I took a camera, to savor some of the cool scenery along the way. I'll be sure to share those pictures when it's not so late.

Even though its similar to most other areas of NW Ohio, I still enjoyed seeing from a different perspective. Back on a bike. So whenever I decide to go on another extended "Stage" of Le Tour de Ada, I'll be sure to tell about the experience.

Welcome Back To My Blog!

Living in Ada, Ohio for the summer has its ups and downs.

Good: I'm taking full advantage of the rent I'm paying for the next year living in my house.
Bad: Not too many folks to hang out with all the time.
Good: Makes for great get-togethers when people do make it back!

Bad: Compared to living in Tennessee, the weather does not. (It didn't make it passed 75 on the thermometer this weekend.) Jeans are only considered appropriate attire during the summer on casual Fridays; not for lounging around the house or playing cornhole outside.

Good: I have a great internship, providing me with great experience!
Bad: I'm paying way too much for the minimum number of credit hours to a fantastic institution that is providing nothing in return (other than confirming my internship).

The list could go on but I'll leave it at that for now. As for the retitling of my blog, it stands true: You know you live in Ada or the summer when you start to blog. When my current roommates leave for home on the weekends, I have plenty of quiet time which gives me time to think about "stuff" and generate ideas. One thought is to share some with you. Hopefully I'll stick to my plan, and provide entertaining as well as insightful posts.