Oh yeah, I have a blog. I almost forgot

Wow, it's been over a month since I've posted anything on here.  Ooops.  But I've been pretty busy with Christmas and school and other stuff.  So I kinda have an excuse.  Speaking of school, I have to go to class now (Principles of Microeconomics.  Yeah, I know....exciting).  But I shall write something properly on here as soon as I get a chance.

Another Semester in the Books

Well, my third semester in college is over.  Wait, what?  It seems like only yesterday that I was packing my things and heading back to Atchison for the start of a new semester.  How could that have possibly been three-and-a-half months ago?  How time flies…especially when you are having fun.  (That’s another thing.  Why is it that when we want time to move more quickly it drags on and on and on, and when we wish we had more time it flies by so quickly that it’s gone before we even notice?  It is somewhat annoying.)  Oh well, I guess we just have to enjoy it while it lasts.

So many things happened in the world this semester that it is hard to keep track of them all, let alone everything that happened in my own life.  The past three months have been a whirlwind of activity…which makes it a little hard to adjust to the quietness of being home.  It is nice to be able to relax and not to worry about tests and assignments though.  There is practically no time for relaxation in college between schoolwork and friends.  It’s one thing happening after the other…with very few breaks in between.  Not that I mind, but every now and then my brain decides that it needs a break.  That usually happens very conveniently around fall break, thanksgiving break, and then Christmas break.  I think the college must have figured out exactly how much everyone can take, and then scheduled the breaks to coincide with everyone’s breaking point.

Let’s see, what did I learn this semester?  Well…I learned everything about how to run a presidential campaign, I learned all about the money and the economy, I read Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes, Aquinas, Jefferson, and Madison, and I re-learned all the ins and outs of American History (up to 1865).  I decided that Socrates was a jerk…brilliant and a philosophical genius, but still a jerk, and that Locke, Aristotle, and Madison made quite a bit of sense.  And if presidential campaigns are that complicated, I had better start now.  Oh, and I lost all hope in American society with the reelection of Barack Obama.  I thought that Americans were smarter than that.  Apparently, I was wrong.  November 6, 2012 was easily one of the worst days in my life.  It was the day that Americans could have put an end to a failure of an administration, an administration that was putting our beloved country on the fast track for destruction.  Instead, the people reelected Obama, and basically gave him a free rein on whatever he wanted to do.  In short, I learned that 60 million Americans have no common sense whatsoever.  It pains me to see America, the greatest country in the history of the world, in such a terrible state.

On a brighter note, I can’t wait to see all the apocalypse related Facebook statuses on December 21^st….and then all the statuses on the 22^nd.  It will be rather amusing.  Those Mayans must be up in heaven having a good laugh at everyone’s expense.  I wonder how long the confession lines will be…

All in all, my third semester in college was a great one.  Just to think, I am 3/8 of the way through college.  That is a scary thought.  You mean in a little over two years I’m going to have to go off on my own and get a *gasp* job?  Oh well, I have two years to think about that.  Here’s to the new year and next semester!!!

Fatherhood

   Fathers are supposed to be the head of the family, physically and more importantly, spiritually.  In today's world this seems to be forgotten.  It is a proven fact that children, especially boys, need a strong father figure in their lives.  Young men need a good example of strong and virtuous manhood.  When they don't have the results are not good.  90% of inmates in our prisons grew up without a father in their home.  That's pretty strong proof if you ask me.

   Hollywood and literature often portrays fathers in a terrible light.  They are more often than not portrayed as bumbling idiots...with the mother being held up as a model of virtue and common sense.  What does this tell children about their fathers?  Take the "Berenstain Bears" for instance.  In this seemingly good and harmless book series Papa Bear is portrayed as a big, lazy, bumbling, dumb, oaf.  He's is laughed at by Mama Bear and by Brother and Sister bear.  We see this kind of thing everywhere now.  Countless movies today depict families with abusive, corrupt, or just plain missing fathers.  One of the most glaringly obviouss of these being Homer Simpson of the ever popular "The Simpsons".  Being a father is one of the most wonderful callings a man can commit to.  Being a good father takes virtue, courage, and love.  It most definitely is not an easy task.  Fathers should be held up by society as examples.  Instead they are ridiculed and mocked. 

   It is always quite refreshing to see a movie that portrays fatherhood as it should be (Batman Begins, Life is Beautiful, Courageous, Finding Nemo, and even the Andy Griffith Show.)  The movie that stands out the most to me is "Life is Beautiful".  This movie takes place in Italy during WWII.  The father in this movie, Guido, is taken to a concentration camp along with his young son.  His self-sacrifice and love for his son is one of the most inspiring things you will ever see.

   I am very lucky to have grown up with a wonderful father my entire life.  My Dad quietly showed me and my brothers, mostly by his example, what it meant to be a man and a loving husband and father.  I never have to look farther than my dad if I want to see an example of a hardworking, Catholic man and father.  Thank you, Dad.  I can only hope that I will follow in your footsteps if I ever become a father myself.

My Take on the Debate

     Wednesday night I watched the first of the three Presidential debates between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.  I watched as Romney shocked liberals and conservatives alike with his incredibly strong performance.  Romney came out firing and didn't let up for the entire 90 minute debate.  Romney looked confident, prepared, relaxed, and professional.  Obama, on the other hand, looked rattled, stiff, uncomfortable, and unprepared.  His moments speaking were laced with "um" and "uh".  Romney knew what he wanted to say, and he said it.  He called Obama to count for his failures in office, and explained why he would have done differently.  This is the first time Obama has had to answer for himself...and he failed miserably.  Romney looked and sounded like a man who was ready to be President of the United States, and Obama looked like he wasn't up to the task.

Midterm Madness

College students everywhere

   Oh, Midterms...why must you torture us?  Midterms.  A word college students have learned to hate (along with finals, test, quiz, alarm clock, etc...).  Here at Benedictine we have just hit the first round of midterms (they will hit us with round 2 right after fall break).  This weekend I had a test to study for, a presentation to prepare (which involved reading 150 pages of a book), and a take-home test to do.  Yeah...I studied all weekend...as well as all Monday.  I felt something like the guy in this picture.  Ok, maybe not that bad, but still...you get the point.  Round 2 of midterms is even worse.  This is due to the fact that the administration had the bright idea to have class signups at the same time.  Last semester I had two tests, a 12 page paper, a 5 page paper, and my class schedule for next semester to figure out...all in the space of a week.  I legitimately felt like the guy in the picture that time.  Stress, stress, STRESS.  If you know anything about college students, you'll know that this is one of the most commonly used word in our vocabulary.  There is one good thing about stress (if you want to be an optimist).  You feel great once you get everything done and all the stress is gone.

Huskers and Bears, Oh My!

   What a week for my sports teams!!!  On Saturday, my beloved Nebraska Huskers won in impressive comeback fashion against the Wisconsin Badgers.  Taylor Martinez used his feet and *gasp* his arm to dismantle the Wisconsin defense in the second half.  Nebraska scored 23 unanswered points to win a 30-27 thriller.  Huskers were dominant on defense as well, allowing only 7 points all second half.  Burkhead showed no signs of rust returning from his injury...he picked up right where he left off.   Hopefully this game is a sign of what is ahead for Nebraska this season in the Big Ten.  GO BIG RED!!!
    As if Nebraska's win wasn't enough, I also got to watch the Chicago Bears dismantle the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.  The Bears were firing on all cylinders last night.  The defense put up one of the most dominant performances I have seen in a long time, recording 5 INTs (two of which went for TDs).  On offense the Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall throwmance continued, with Cutler connecting with Marshall 7 times for 138 yards and a TD.  Cutler stayed mistake free and the O-line played well enough to keep him on his feet most of the game.  If the Bears can show up like this the rest of the year, watch out NFL!!!  BEAR DOWN CHICAGO BEARS!!!

Leadership

"Just as the diamond requires three properties for its formation -- carbon, heat, and pressure -- successful leaders require the interaction of three properties -- character, knowledge, and application.  Like carbon to the diamond, character is the basic quality of the leader.  But as carbon alone does not create the diamond, neither can character alone form the leader.  The diamond needs heat.  Man needs knowledge, study and preparation.  The third property, pressure -- acting in conjunction with carbon and heat -- forms the diamond.  Similarly, one's character, attended by knowledge, blooms through application to produce a leader."  -  General Edward C. Meyer, former US Army Chief of Staff