RJ’s Blog

When I sit back and think about it, these past four years have gone by almost way too fast. I’m in my final semester here at Austin Peay and graduation will be here sooner than I can imagine.

As I sit here and write this, I’m drowning in graduate school applications, study materials (GRE, senior exit exam, etc.), and my usual responsibilities. After my time here at The Peay, I’ll probably go off somewhere and do some more school. I’m just not sure where I want to go or what I want to study. My family is planning on taking a few road trips here in the coming weeks to visit some schools that I have in mind. We’ll make our way to the Midwest (Illinois), the east coast (South Carolina), and the deep south (Alabama). I’d usually be looking forward to trips like this, but they take on a whole new meaning when the whole time you are trying to make a decision that is going to affect the rest of your life. It’s like my Austin Peay transition all over again, but I’m a little bit more wise and experienced. APSU has had a lot to do with that. With all the training they’ve put me through and all of the orientations I’ve had the opportunity to assist with, I think I’m fully prepared to make the right decision.

You’ld think that the last semester of your college career would be the easiest. Four months that you can relax and look back on all that you’ve accomplished. Well that is truly the wrong assumption. Classes are still there and I took on a little extra burden of taking piano lessons for credit this semester. Seniors have to take all these tests. For me it was: 1)The LSAT- in case I wanted to go to law school; 2)The GRE- because I’m going to go to graduate school no matter what; 3)A Communications Department exam- to prove that I’ve learned all that I can learn about mass communications; and 4)A senior exit exam- to prove that I haven’t been sleeping through all of my classes the past four years. It’s crazy, but I guess like most things in life, it’ll end up being worth the pain and suffering.

Also, during this semester, I’m completing an internship at the Country Music Association in Nashville. It’s an awesome opportunity considering I’m planning on trying to get in some type of music business program in grad school. For me, it’s been a little overwhelming. My coworkers just throw around the names of all these big-time country music stars like they see them and talk to them everyday. It must come with the business. We have artists coming through the building almost daily and some even take a little time to put on a concert for the staff. This also means lots of free food, free cds, promotional material, and backstage passes to major events. It’s everything a music lover could ask for, but it’s also a job. That’s the hardest thing to remember…especially when you’re a little starstruck.

Everything else on campus is going pretty well. The men’s basketball team is first in the conference, meaning the games are exciting and the potential is unfathomable. We’re thinking NCAA upset come March. Baseball season is getting ready to start up, which is exciting considering their success last year. Student Government is steady pumping out legislation. We recently passed a resolution to make all residence halls completely wireless. This means that when we say the whole campus has wireless access…we really mean it. President Hall is constantly bringing new ideas to campus and is forever brainstorming ideas for traditions we can start. We’re singing the fight song at games again, after not using the words since I can remember. We’re getting ready to start construction on brand new apartment style residence halls. And the quality of guest speakers and visitors to the university is tremendous. I’m a little jealous I won’t be here to see his plans come to fruition.

Lastly, it’s Valentine’s Day today. I hope you’re able to cuddle up with that special someone and you got them the perfect gift to show that you care. Me…I’ve got to study for an ethics test and clean my room. But, hey…I’ll make the best of it.

Finally, our winter break is coming to an end. I had a great holiday season and I hope you did as well. I was able to travel to see some family members and catch up on a lot of rest and other chores that I had fallen behing on. It feels like its been forever since I sat in a classroom. You may think that having a month off from school is a good thing…but you start running out of things to do to keep you busy and its so much harder to get back into a schedule. I’m going into my final semester here at Austin Peay, which is definitely a bittersweet moment. Four years seemed like a long time at the beginning but the time goes by really quickly. Even if you stay here for 5, 6, or 10 years, it won’t feel that long. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

This upcoming semester will probably be my most exciting one here. I’ve received an internship at CMA in Nashville, which means I’ll be getting to work side-by-side with some of the biggest names in country music. (Or at least I hope so.) Most of the majors here require some sort of professional internship as part of their program. Hopefully, it leads into some sort of career position or a great reference for grad school.

One of the biggest changes between college and high school are the freedoms and responsibilities that you deal with as a college student. You’re pretty much on your own when it comes to decision making and keeping track of your actions. For me, these tasks just got taken up a notch. Over this past break I finally came of age, turning 21 years old on January 2nd. Everybody keeps asking me how I feel and what am I gonna do now. Well, the honest answer is I don’t feel any different and probably won’t do anything different either.

Oddly enough, I was under the impression that as you got older, the idea of a Christmas list began to disappear. However, I’m still being bombarded with requests to submit one; and as the years go by, the task gets so much harder. Gone are the days where I could just ask for video games, legos, and action figures. Although all of those things are still quite cool, I have to start asking for more grown-up toys. So in the spirit of the season, I give you my 2007 Christmas List…

1. Acceptance: No, I haven’t been striking out in the dating game or being shunned by my circle of friends. With the end of my APSU career approaching, I have to begin planning out my next step. This includes choosing and applying to a graduate school or several schools. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to study, so I’m keeping my options open with where I apply. Hopefully, Santa (the Admissions office) will bring me some good news.

2. Cookbooks and kitchenware: I’ve heard that the way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach. That’s great and all, but when it comes to nutrition I’m really the only person I trust (other than my mom, but what guy doesn’t). Plus, the ability to cook is slowly disappearing from society today and I think it’s such a handy talent to have. It can also be pretty impressive to a pretty girl.

3. An iPhone: Duh.

4. Hanes: Michael Jordan was a great basketball player. But his ability to make and market clothes that have no tags and seamless comfort is truly admirable. A guy can never have too many undershirts.

5. A decent bookbag: Rolling backpacks really aren’t for me. And those mesenger bags make me feel uneven.

6. Athletic success: Not really for me. I got my Intramural Championship shirt this past semester, so that’s one college goal achieved. This item is really for the APSU Basketball team. 5 returning starters and the returning OVC Player of the Year does not translate into a losing record at Christmas. My bold prediction: 20+ game win streak to end the season and a first round upset in the NCAA tournament. Put it in the books.

7. See #3.

I really don’t think it’s too much to ask for. Anyways, Christmas is somewhat of a blessing and a curse for me. My birthday is only a week after, so I really have to split up the whole gift asking thing. The great thing is….this birthday is the big 2-1. Good times.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

So I’m back after a long hiatus away from the world of blogs. We recently just finished Fall Break and now there’s about three weeks left in the semester. Here’s a quick, but fairly large, recap of what’s been going on around campus.

Student Government has been quite busy. Our new president is busy working with on improving the overall appeal of campus life. We’re looking for bigger and more creative ideas to perk up interest. We’re having pep rallies almost every week and we’re in the process of bringing keynote speakers and well-known musical acts to the campus. Austin Peay is rich in history but doesn’t have a lot of traditions that students can take stake in. We’re currently searching fir ideas of some new traditions that we can start.

On the extracurricular side, I finally received approval for the Austin Peay Soccer Club. The club will give students who are looking for a more competitve environment a chance to play the sport. Intramurals are fun but this should be a great opportunity for all soccer players on campus. The club is open to both guys and girls and it will provide the opportunity for the creation of an APSU Men’s soccer team. We’re going to start trying to play some organized games this spring. After four years, my intramural team finally won the campionship. So we’re on roll.

The Govs Ambassadors are busy working on making the campus the place you want to come to. We had two AP Days which you might have come to. It was a great time and a great chance to see all the Austin Peay has to offer. If you weren’t there, be on the lookout for another opportunity or college visit.

Football season is over and it was extremely successful. We ended with a 7-4 record and third place in the conference after being picked to finish last. Football season has become exciting again and really picked up the school spirit around campus. Hopefully, this will carry over into basketball season. The team has a some high expectations, which they haven’t been living up to lately. It’s still early in the season and we have a long way to go.

It’s crazy to think that I only have just over one semester left here at school. It’s nice though because as I sat down to register for classes, I realized that there weren’t really a lot of classes I could take. It’s a nice feeling to sit down and have to search for classes just to fill your minimum hours. You can pretty much take whatever you want. Thus, I encourage you to stay on track and get ahead of schedule no matter where you go to school. Aerobic dance is gonna be a great class.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Here’s to looking towards Christmas.

AP Day 2007

Went to my second concert of the summer recently. This one was comprised of James Morrison, Ben Folds, and John Mayer. The show was absolutely incredible. I went primarily to see Ben Folds, but I’m a much bigger John Mayer fan now that I’ve seen him live. The only bad part about the show was that the first person I asked to go with me couldn’t go, then the second person I asked bailed on me the night prior. So I was pretty bummed thinking I’d have to go by myself but one of my friends from high school came through. It might have been nice to be able to stretch out with an empty seat beside me, but, let’s face it, concerts are definitely not fun when you go alone.

Now that all the “fun” stuff is over this summer. I’m working really hard on getting ready for the school year. Organization has never been my strong point, but this time I’m really gonna have to get it together. SGA is busy getting ready for Welcome Back Week and Homecoming. Both events are crammed into the first month we come back. Govs Ambassadors are busy branching out, trying to reach students through the world wide web. We’ve got a new Facebook page that you should check out.

Soccer season is also in full swing and it’s my first season as a coach (a real one and not a volunteer one.) So that means practices, scrimmages, or games every day. And when you’ve got close to 30 girls to keep in check, that can be a pretty tiresome task.

School starts in less than two weeks. I’m actually one of the few that wish it would get here sooner.