It is a few days after Christmas and the chaos of the days are finally settled down. The world has shopped, opened, and returned everything that they can and now things are back to normal. Christmas was definitely a great time. Seeing all of my family in one place was great. But I am getting ahead of myself.

My first step toward even thinking about Christmas came when Carmen and I went shopping for presents. We journeyed to the largest mall in Michigan, Great Lakes Crossing. It was a week before Christmas and I was surprised at the small amount of people. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of people there, but a large crowd was usual for Great Lakes Crossing. The real rush wasn't on so Carmen and I were early. I have to say that this was the most successful year for shopping as far as I am concerned. I remember when Carmen and I went last year. I think I only got a few presents for a few people. This year, I got everyone done at once, except for Carmen. Her stuff would have to wait until later. I got my mother a silver cross along with a chain. I thought it was beautiful. At the same time, I got my ear pierced ...again.

See, I originally got the top of my ears done when I was in Columbus. After a few weeks, I realized that the holes did not match. Where the earrings entered was correct, but where they exited was different. I took one of them out so that it could close and I could get it redone. When I went back, the woman said that I couldn't get it in the same spot but she would attempt to put it near the spot. She tried and failed. I took it out and decided to just wait until I got home. When I went to this place, the lady did the ear, but she felt that she messed up and had to do it again. So she took it out and re did it. My ear had been pierced 4 times. Guess what? It's still in the wrong spot. At this point, I don't know whether I want to keep it or take it out and try it again. Chances are, I will keep it. I wanted them to be equal so that when I put hoops in, they would line up. But I don't want a keloid on the top of my ear.

I had also gotten presents for my cousin Michelle and my aunt Robin. Carmen and I left the Mall tired, but satisfied.

I soon had to return to Great Lakes Crossing with my mother in order to get Carmen's present. If I hadn't gone all out for my mother, I had done it with Carmen. It's strange between Carmen and I, because we compete on who can give each other the best presents on times when we are supposed to. It started on Sweetest' Day when she bought me candy and a Spongebob. My chance to match that would come on Valentine's Day, but Christmas was next. I gave Carmen a fleece and a CD. Carmen got me The Phantom of the Opera CD set, Jewel's book of poetry and ...something else but I forget what it is. I believe it was another CD, but at any rate, she won that round. When Valentine's Day came around, I bought her a stuffed bear, a pink pajama set with hearts on it, and candy. I won that round. My birthday came first and Carmen bought me Jewel's 1st CD and a book. For her birthday, I got her a necklace, a mirror, and a CD. I was in the lead. For this Christmas, I am not sure who will win. She said that there is no way I can top her this year but I think I can give her a run for her money. I went with an Earth theme this year, getting her things like candles, oils, beads, and things like that. Who knows what I will receive.

So Christmas eve comes and it just doesn't feel like the holiday anymore. Probably because I am older, but who knows. My mother and I went to church that night like we did every year. I was there hoping that I would catch that magic that I felt when I was a kid. My Pastor put forth an excellent sermon and I went home feeling great, but the feeling wasn't there. That night, I watched the 24 hour marathon of "A Christmas Story" (You know, the one with the kid sticking his tongue to the poll) on TNT. It was tradition.

The next morning, I heard my mother telling me to get up. When I was a kid, it was generally the other way around. I figured this was payback from all of those years where I got her up at 5 or 6 in the morning. She had the video camera out like she always did and she recorded the opening of the presents. Hers was first. My mom unwrapped the red paper to reveal a read fleece from Old Navy along with a matching hat. I think she liked it. I then gave her another gift that one could tell was 2 CD's. One was Reuben Studdard and the other was Luther Vandross. My mom beamed. She commanded me to open one of my presence. So I took one of them from the stack and pulled it apart. By the feel of it, I knew it was a video game for my computer. It was. Ages of Mythology: The Titan expansion pack for the game I already had. I thanked her and told her to open another, but she wanted me to open one of hers. I did what I was told and opened a slightly heavy box. It turned out to be the cologne I had asked for: Calvin Klein Contradiction. It was something new to go along with my usual and popular cologne. It was my mother's turn again and she opened up my gag gift to her: a Zodiac doll with her sign on it, Ares. Next was me and I got another game: Simcity 4 Deluxe. So far, I had gotten everything that I'd wanted. It was my moms turn again and it was time for her open her main gift. All she had asked for was that cross and that's exactly what she got. It's silver with a rose spiraling to the top. I like it and I think she does too.

When the opening of gifts were finished at my house, we went over my grandmother's to do a gift exchange. Seeing my grandmother along with the rest of my family was my favorite part of the day. It has been such a long time since we have all been together in one house. We ate and then we exchanged presents. I received a set of hair clippers from my cousin Crystal. I needed them too so that I could trim my beard, not only in Columbus (when Ben is busy), but also when I am at home. I gave out Ohio State shirt to my Grandmother and aunt Robin. I think I will give my cousin Michelle one too as soon as I am able to get back to a Steve and Barry's.

The very next day, my friend from Mosaic, Alexandria and I went to see Les Miserables at the Fisher Theatre. Look for it in the events page in the future.

In all, it has been a great visit home, but I am more than ready to go back to school. I miss the city and I miss the campus. I am just ready to get back into the mix. I got back early Saturday morning. 4 days and counting.

 

It's always strange leaving Ohio State to go home. When I first came here for orientation, it was the first time I had seen the place and I was hooked. I knew that this was my University and I didn't want to leave it. When I had to journey home for the Spirit of Diversity job fair to attempt to get an internship, yes I was happy to be back, but I longed to return here. And now, I will be leaving this place that I call my home, once again, to go to my original home.

Parts of me want to leave, but parts of me want to stay. I miss my family more than anything. I miss being able to see my Grandmother, who is 78 years old, whenever I wanted to. I miss hearing my mother's voice. Hearing her over the phone is just not the same as her speaking to me in person. I miss her gestures and the things she would do to make me laugh. I miss my cousins and my aunts. I miss Carmen and being able to go with her to just talk or hang out. Hell, I miss my car.

Conflicts come in to play here though. I love the freedom I have at OSU. Not just the freedom though. It's almost like owning a house. That house is yours and you love being in it just for that reason. Going to visit family means not being in something that you feel is yours. I love this place because it's mine. This is a school that I am proud to be a part of and I don't want to leave it for so long.

It's strange because my roommates and a lot of the friends that I have made here are dying to leave. They miss being in their own bedroom and living alone. I miss the same thing, but it was different going back home the last time. I felt like a stranger in my house and in my own bed. It was like, my bed was back in Columbus and my home was back in Columbus. As much as I was happy being with and seeing my family, I wanted to come back.

I could have gone home on Tuesday, after my final, but I decided to stay and work until Saturday. I work the front desk of a dorm complex and all of the Office Assistants are required to work 2 holidays and 1finals week. I picked up Thanksgiving and Fall Finals. It's nice to be one of the few people on campus. It has gotten a lot more quiet, just like it was on Thanksgiving. I have been spending the time that I am not at work with friends.

Side story. I was thinking about when Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit went to Minneapolis, MN one day and I thought about the nice woman I had stayed with. I will never forget her name

Anthony and I went to the Something Corporate concert on the 10th, which was a lot of fun. One of my co-workers named Liberty and I went and got sushi the very next day. Let me tell you, the sushi was amazing. I wanted to hang out with my buddy Ken, but the times didn't work out so we might have to post-pone that until next year.

On the job, I have been having a blast. If I am not updating the site or watching a movie, I am playing a game with my co-workers. Last night, which was really this morning, I got off at 1am and went over and played a game called "Scene-It" with a few folks and stayed up until 4 am. I am actually going to go over there tonight.

It's just things like that, that make me want to stay. I love this place and I love the people. Classes are hard, but damn, it gives me a challenge. This is real life here. You have you work (class and actual work) that you have to do to stay alive (or in the university). You have you social groups where you meet people. You make decision, like if you want to drink or have sex. Everything is on you. Here is the practice round before the world level starts. I love my glimpse and I love this school.

3 weeks and counting.

A break is soon coming and I cannot wait for its arrival. I remember when I made that one post. You remember, the one where I complained about the state of my room? It was the most frustrating situation that I have ever had to endure and I didn't think that anything would help. Every little thing about my roommates was getting on my nerves and I did all that I could to try and fix the problem. Unfortunately, nothing worked in my favor. Eventually, the tension did pass and I was fine, although not completely cured. Then I went home for two days. At the time, I didn't think that going home would do much to my attitude toward my room but it did. I came back feeling great. The little things that my roommates did didn't bother me as much as it had before hand.

I need another break.

I guess, things just get hard when you have four people leaving in one room. On the Real World, seven strangers are picked to live in a house, or a loft. At Ohio State, more than half that number are picked to live in a dorm with a front room, a bedroom and a bathroom. So what has been going on here? Here we go...

Remember the 5th roommate that I spoke about a while ago? She is Franklin's girlfriend, Jessica. Well, she isn't our 5th roommate anymore. Here is how things went down. Jessica has been irking me since the girl moved in. She had issues with her roommates and found sanctuary in our room. At first, I had no problem with it. It started out as being something that only happened a few days out of the week. Suddenly, she was there every night. I can't speak for everyone, but it was beginning to get on my nerves. Not only would she sleep over, she spent the majority of her time in that room. It was difficult enough with 4, then there was 5. There were other things that annoyed me about the couple but I will get down to the nitty gritty. Jessica got sick somehow and complaining about it in our room. She had no fever or anything, just feeling really crappy. Franklin took her to the emergency room to see what was wrong. Come to find out, either she has strept throat or mano. The first thing I wanted to know was why she was still in my room. My mother wanted to know the same thing. Jessica informed us that we wouldn't be able to catch it unless we came into direct contact with her mouth. We let it go a few days and then one day, everything went to hell. It was a late night and I was going to do laundry. Jessica was sleeping in Franklin's bed, but there was nothing I could do about that. The whole room was buzzing. Jen was over and everyone was pretty much awake. I went into the room to gather my things and at the same time talk to Jen. Soon I hear, "Jeffrey, I'm trying to sleep. Could you be quiet." Trust me, she didn't request it, she demanded it. I was taken aback, but remained calm. Jen must have asked me something because I said something else. It was soon followed by, "Jeffrey, can you please be quiet!" At this point I am glaring at Jen almost pleading with her to restrain me silently. Quickly, I picked my things up and headed out the room, but not before I heard her absolutely scream and Benjamin. I spent the next few hours letting out all of my pisstivity to Jennifer. About two days later, Franklin was in the room, along with Ben. I told Franklin about what happened between us that night and he had no idea it happened. I told him very simply, "You better check your girl. She acts like she lives here and she doesn't." I found out later that she heard everything I said. She stopped sleeping in our room after that. In fact, she avoids the room as much as she cans. She is mad at all of us, but she said that she mostly doesn't like me.

You know what? I am happy she doesn't. Ever since I have gotten to this school, I have met so many different types of people. But some of the people that I have met are just idiots. I guess I am somewhat harsh towards the girls. Blame it on Carmen. See, I hold all girls to a standard that is set by her. Carmen is intelligent and open to different things. When I encounter a girl acts as though they know everything and I can prove them wrong on more than one occasion, I lose respect for them. I make it a habit to strike them down as often as I can because girls like that annoy me. It's unfair and I admit that. But they always say that girls are smarter than guys and I find that very true. When some females go against that, I can no longer hold them too high in my eyes. Don't get me wrong. The majority of the girls I encounter here are very intelligent. But some are just plain dumb. Jessica is one of them.

Ben is moving off campus next year. He seems very serious about it and is researching prices. Hell, he has even made a budget up. I really wish he wasn't going to. As we get deeper and deeper into the school year, I have come to really appreciate Ben as a roommate. I think he is the only reason I stay sane in that room. He is clean, quiet, and a great guy to be around. It's hard to describe him because he is unlike anyone I have met in my life. Now, I don't mean to kiss his ass or anything like that, but when you have so much crap going on around you, it's great to have someone who calms you down. I have said it before, if I had to choose someone to room with next year, it would be Ben or Aaron. As I think about it more though, I know that rooming with Ben would be the perfect choice. He has all the qualities of a great roommate. The guy cleans! He is also easy to get along with. What I don't want to do is let that go and be entered in to the random draw of new roommates. As much as I don't want the guy to leave, I have been giving him advice on looking for a spot to live. I am hoping that he changes his mind.

How are my other roommates? Franklin is being himself. You know, at the beginning of the year, I thought Franklin and I would be really close...boy was that a lie. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him, we just aren't that cool. As far as him being my roommate, he is not my number one choice. I guess my number one complaint is that the guy is inconsiderate. I honestly don't know if he thinks about other people when he does things. Someone who thought about their roommates would try to keep a little clean, especially when their roommates say that you are the dirty person in the room. Someone who thought about their roommates would not let his girlfriend sleep over every night. One thing Franklin likes to do is sleep out in the front room, on the floor. Granted the room is not that large with four desks inside it. He sleeps right in the middle of the floor. Now, this would not be a problem if I didn't wake up early in the morning, but generally I do. I do homework or chat with my mother online in the mornings and he gets in the way of me maneuvering around. I asked him if he would please stop making a bed on the floor and going to sleep and the guy absolutely would not listen to me. He thought I was being stupid for making such a request. It was turning into one of those issues, just like with the television. Living with other people is all about compromising. If I make a request, just take it into account next time you think about doing it. Would it kill you not to do that if it bothers me so much? But he doesn't think that way. He does what he wants and I am tired of fighting with him.

Sterling is cool. He is hardly ever in the room because he down the call playing video games. He is funny though. He makes me laugh hysterically all the time and I believe I will have better abs because of it.

I know I just want to go home. I have to stay until Saturday to work but I am going home soon. Great news. I got a call back for an internship at the South Bend Tribune. Hopefully, if they like me then I will be in another city for the majority of the summer. The South Bend Tribune is located in South Bend, Indiana, about 3 and a half hours away from Detroit. I will be driving there next Monday to get a second interview and check out the city. It should be a very interesting time.

I am going to a concert with my friend Anthony and seeing his favorite group, Something Corporate. He gave me their CD and man, did I fall for there music hard. I can't wait but I'm not sure how I am going to deal with the folk around here dancing and what not.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but college life is very hectic.

As you know, it has been about a month since I have updated the site. With school work, my job, and student organizations going on all around me, it's some times hard to flop down in this seat and actually write about what has been happening. I don't want to take it too far back but I will give a basic overview of what has been going on.

Classes are going...well, they could be better. Like I said, if anyone from Michigan believes that Ohio State is for dummies, then they are fools to think so. I am doing great in my English class (would you expect any less from a Journalism major?) but I am not doing so well in Math and doing even worse in Spanish. In fact, I have basically given up on the subject. I am not going to be taking it next quarter and I might decide to pick up another language. Either way, I am going to wait until next school year to really decide on what I want to do as far as my language requirement goes. I have a Spanish composition paper to write tomorrow and did I study? Hell no. It's not that I am lazy, I just don't see the point in trying to succeed when I know that I'm out for the count. My last exam, I scored a 49%. Prior to that, I was getting at least D's and C's. I know my last exam has dropped my grade dramatically and the ONLY way to bring it up is the final ...which I am sure I will fail too. Math, even though it is going bad, has a light at the end of the tunnel. While I was doing a very poor job in the class before, I think I actually understand the work now. Even better I get to prove it on our next exam, which is today. If I can do extremely well on this one, I can bring my grade up to passing.

As far as social goes, I am loving it. I love the people that I am meeting here. Jen, Anthony, Aaron...hell even my roommate Ben. They are all great people to be around and I am glad to know them. Through them, I meet even more people. I don't, however, consider everyone my friend. A person has got to be very careful about who they see as friend because just as there are good folks in the world, there are some bad folks. And with Ohio State having more than 60,000 students, you got a lot of bad ones.

I BOUGHT A LAPTOP!!! Now, I know what you are thinking, "Jeff, you don't need a laptop. You have a very good computer right in front of you." I agree, my computer is a great one. Nice and fast and reliable, and I thought I would be fine with just this but man is it difficult to operate on this campus with a desktop. It means I have to do all of my work in my room and that's pretty messed up when considering that I have a job that basically makes me sit in one spot for 4 hours doing almost nothing when I could be doing work. The cost won't be too bad, especially when thinking about how much money I had saved up, just from not spending for 3 weeks. Yes, I am cheap. The great thing is, I got it at a good time. What used to cost 799 is now 999. It's a Dell so they are always having sales. The computer's name will probably be Omicron, the greek letter.

I went home this past Thursday and Friday to go to the Spirit of Diversity Job Fair sponsored by the Detroit Free Press. What a great experience. There, I was interviewed by recruiters from all over, trying to get interns, reporters, and editors for their respective papers. I was there trying to get an internship for next summer, a very difficult task since I am only a freshman. Most of the papers wanted Juniors and Seniors but were impressed that I came out. Hopefully they like my stuff and decide to get me on staff as an intern. We'll see.

While I was home, I got to see my buddy Carmen again. I was so happy to be able to just chill and chat with her. I wouldn't say it was like old times because things just seemed rushed. It was like, I got home from the job fair, changed closed, ran out to see her. In fact, the whole two-day experience was rushed. It was nice to see her and all but I think the real fun time she and I will have will come at Winter vacation.

So this was Beat Michigan week (if you don't know about the University of Michigan/Ohio State rivalry then something is wrong) and the Buckeyes failed to win. I was upset at first but after sleeping on it, I was fine. The game was a great one and I enjoyed every moment of it. What I enjoyed more was just hanging with my friend Anthony, along with his friends.

As you can tell, things are crazy. Trust me, when I get my laptop...well I guess it should be called a notebook. When I get my notebook, I will update more frequently.

I need a break ...a long break ...longer than two days.

There is no such thing as a weekend at Ohio State. Yeah, we get Saturday and Sunday off but not really. I think out of the whole week, a student gets one day off, Saturday. The rest of the time seems like class. Even Saturday seems like it is just part of the weekday. Let me break it down.

I get out of class on Friday, fairly early to. I generally come home, and maybe go get some food or go to sleep. The very next day, I get up early in the morning to go to work from 7am to 11am, just before the game comes on. Then, I have to watch the game. That takes about 3 or 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, I love the Buckeyes games but I wish I didn't feel so obligated to watch them. It's a cult here, and not even I can break away from it. After the game is over, I am generally tired and go to sleep. When I wake up, it's late and unless someone wants to go out and NOT drink, then I stay home. Sucks huh?

You would think Sunday would be a rest right? WRONG! There is homework to be done that probably was skipped Saturday. Not to mention work.

My roommates are great, but even I am getting tired of living here. Most people worry about not having privacy with one roommate. There is no privacy with three other people living in the room. I scrap for time that I can spend alone, just to listen to my music or to watch what I want to.

Stupid stuff is starting to annoy me to no end. The television is a constant battle. When everyone first came, I told them that all I wanted out of the TV was to be able to watch it from Monday to Wednesday at 10:00 to 10:30 each night. That's only three days. I can barely get that in. They watch ESPN and whatever they want all day but then when I want to get 30 minutes, all of a sudden, there is something else they want to watch.

Sometimes people just are not conscious of others. I could be studying and I will have to tell Franklin to turn down his music. Granted, he will turn it down but damn, be observant. The room is always dirty and I understand that with 4 people in one tight space, it will get messy but clean up after yourself at least once a week...once a quarter. We also have a 5th roommate, Franklin's non-girlfriend who sleeps in our room every night. I have no problem with her being in the room but damn, I swear she has a room herself. Bad enough with 4, a fifth is just way to much.

Next year, I am definitely getting a double. No more quad rooms for me. If I had to choose someone to live with today, I would choose one of my current roommates Ben. He is probably the person in the room that I get along with most. He and I have not really had any problems since we've been here and we hang out a lot too. If not him, probably a guy down the hall named Aaron. He's a cool guy to and I wouldn't mind living with him.

It's just something strange about this room. No one buys stuff for the room, we only buy things for ourselves. It's like we are renting our space instead of renting the room for us to share. I think if it were just two, things would feel like more of a community, and I would be a lot happier.

Aye Ta Tay

This was mid term week and things have been absolutely crazy. Thought college would be somewhat easy. You know, go to class, study, have fun, and sleep right? WRONG. When things get busy around here, you tend to miss some of those key points. So what has been going on?

Well, my appearance has changed. I allowed my roommate, Benjamin, to cut my hair. For the most part, he did an okay job, especially for this being the 4th time he has ever done it in his life. Yes, I was scared to death but I had seen him cut his own hair and he did a good job. I figured, my hair line isn't too complicated to follow so I would be okay. I also made sure I had about three caps to put on before he did it, just in case. So my hair fell to the floor and Ben let me line my beard. He will get a lot better by the end of the year.

To add to that change, about two weeks ago (tomorrow) I got my ears pierced Yes, the earring count is up to 6, three on the right, three on the left. I got them done at the top of the ear and it hurt worse than any other hole I had gotten done. It inspired me to stop getting my ears done. Sad huh? At first, they hurt like hell. Then, they itched like hell. Now, because I have started wearing hats, they are doing a combination of the two.

Oh, the hats? They are from Old Navy. I have become preppy, buying sweaters and long sleeve shirts. All that poo.

Funny event: I was sitting in my room when I heard a knock at the door. Opening it revealed a guy who lives down the hall. He wanted to know where one of my roommates were. While talking to him, I heard this moaning coming from down the way. I asked him what it was and he said that Prince was playing a porno and had his speakers facing outside. I ran down there laughing and the room was in chaos. There were people on the street looking around wondering what was going on. On his computer screen, there was a porno playing. We all passed out laughing but the prospect of one of the R. A.'s coming up and catching us made them turn it off and go back to every day business.

So, you ask, "What about the school aspect of college?" Well, things could be better in my opinion. Well, let me take that back. I have three real classes and one survey class that only lasts 5 weeks and is only worth one credit hour. Anyway, my classes are Spanish 102.66 (quick review before 103), Math 050 (Math for dummies) and English 110 Literature (English for smart people who weren't good enough to test out of the class). I am doing great in Math and English, but Spanish is what's slitting my wrists. It's bad enough that I am horrible at the language but then there is all the crap that comes with it. In order to pass the class, of course I have to take exams. I got a 65% on my first one. A "D" at Ohio State is not passing, in fact if a person gets an "E", "D-", "D", or "D+" they fail the course. To add to the exams, I have to go to a room where the language is totally Spanish and I will have to stay in there for 45 minutes. I can barely speak proper sentences so how am I going to hold a conversation in Spanish? I have to do that twice. Also, there will be an oral Exam. I just think I am royally screwed, or maybe I need to study.

See, throughout high school, I have never studied because I have always been able to just pick things up. That isn't the case here, especially with my Spanish class. But I am starting to study now. I have to get a good GPA so that I can get scholarships.

Wish me luck.

And college continues.

I haven't updated in a long time because I have been without a computer. My mother made the long journey from Detroit down to Columbus last, last Saturday with the man that built my computer, Romeo. They came just to visit but also to bring me a printer and a few supplies (food, candy, etc.). The printer and everything was set up quickly but something happened after I was told to uninstall a program and my computer was unable to boot up. Without my Windows 2000 CD, I was left without my computer, something very vital here at OSU. Afterwards, I was supposed to hang with my mother and Romeo. We were supposed to have a good time going around Columbus and I was supposed to show them everything there was to see. Unfortunately, I couldn't get passed my computer. It wasn't the computer that I was upset about though, it was all of my documents, including the story I have been working on for close to a year. I couldn't get passed the fact that it might be erased forever. With those thoughts in mind, I wasn't the best host in the world. My mother thought I was upset at her and so did Romeo, but I really wasn't. I was happy that my mother had come to see me, I was just worried about my work. The one thing that I love, could have been gone. I still showed them around, giving a small tour of the rather large campus. They got to see the Oval and different sights. Picture taking was a big thing that day. As the day went on though, I felt a lot better. By then end, I was my old self. When I finally got the CD this passed Thursday, I still had to wrestle with my system. For about three hours, I had to struggle to make it work but in the end, I was successful.

Classes are okay. I am becoming rather jealous of my friends because they have much nicer courses than I do. Spanish 102.66 is my most difficult class because I just can't pick up the language. I had an exam last week and I was scared to death, but surprisingly, I don't think I did that bad in it. I used to think that college would be a large leap from high school, but it's not.

As most folks know, I am a journalism major and I already have my first story for our school paper, the Lantern. I am so happy to be writing again and I have to say my time at the Detroit Free Press really helped a lot. Before hand, I was very nervous about doing interviews or even calling people to set up interviews. Now, thanks to my mentor Kelley L. Carter, I was more than happy to set up an interview and making calls. I mean, the woman made me interview Sway from Mtv on the spot when we were at the Eminem concert. I also sent in my resume for the Spirit of Diversity job fair that the Detroit Free Press sponsors. I am looking to get an internship next year and hopefully, I will be successful.

It's strange because this is the rest of my life. Unlike most freshmen, I won't be going home to spend a relaxing summer under the roof of my mother's home. I won't be getting a summer job at a department store or anything like that. I am going to be jumping right into my career, only after one year of college. There are no breaks from now on.

I was talking to one of the guys I worked with at the Detroit Free Press over the summer and he said that it seemed like our future was planned before we even took that final step out of that building. That adds pressure, but it also relieves a lot of stress. I know a lot of people who want to major in journalism, but they don't know the business like I do. Not to say that I am going to be any more successful than they will but I am glad to know all the steps that it is going to take. From interviews to writing, I know what I am faced with. And the things that hid in the shadows are a little brighter.

And so my life begins.

College is french for "Busy as hell."

No one can be bored at a University like this. There is always something to do and in my case, there are a lot of things to do and this is only the first (real) week of school. So what have I been up to? Here's my update.

First and most important is school. I have four classes for a total of 16 credit hours. I am taking Math 050, English 110 Literature, Spanish 102.66, and SBS 100. One thing about college is that the classes aren't awsometageously hard, it's just a lot of damn work. Homework is given every night and it is strange just to walk into my room sometimes. You will see myself, Ben, and Sterling all sitting quiet with the television off, studying. Never in my life have I ever experienced that. Franklin studies too, but he generally goes to the study room in the basement.

If I am not studying and doing homework, chances are, I'm at work. I work at the front desk at one of the other dorms on the Ohio State campus. I generally work mornings (7am to 11am) because not a lot of stuff happens and I can do my homework and get paid at the same time. I like the job but I am only getting my feet wet. I sometimes mess up simple things like getting people their packages and what not. Today, a guy came to get his package and I got nervous because I didn't remember the procedure. I was so nervous that I couldn't find his package and when I asked a lady for help, she found it. I was reading the From part instead of to To. I felt dumb. I will get better though.

In addition to that, I am involved with MUNDO, a living learning program in dorm which explores diversity. I will also be getting involved with our student paper, and hopefully another paper called Black Horizons.

Busy!

I like it though. I like being involved because it gives me something to do. I think I spent so much of my life in the house, either in front of the tv or in front of the computer that now that I am on my own, I want to be as busy as everyone else.

Everything hasn't been peachy though. A few days ago, some girls who live close to me began to talk about religion. Now if you know me, you know I have some very interesting ideas about religion, especially Christianity. I told them that if they wanted to discuss religion with me then they would have to keep and open mind because when I argue (discuss), I do it with a passion. Well, they didn't keep an open mind. In fact, they tried to preach to me and I wasn't having that. Since they couldn't sway my way of thinking, in frustration, they began to cry. At the point, it was time for them to leave. But before they left, they prayed. Not my scene at all. First week of school and I make two girls cry. And I liked one too, but not anymore.

But overall, I really do enjoy it here. I'm not homesick at all. I think the only complaint is money. Everyone talks about how hard it is to survive in college without (spending) money and I agree. But it's okay, as long as I spend it wisely. School is great. Go Buckeyes!

 

And so it finally begins, my life as a college student. But more importantly, this is my first step into my true adult hood. I am now free to do whatever pleases me as long as it doesn't infringe on any rules set by the University. I can stay awake as long as I want. I can eat whenever I want. There is no one here to wake me up. There is no one here to tell me to clean up. This is my freedom.

As most people know, I have been waiting for the day that I would pack my room up and move to The Ohio State University. Staying at home while my friends were off taking tests, writing essays, and having the time of their lives was getting to me. But that day came and that day was a good one. Myself, along with my mother, my favorite cousin Michelle, and my Grandmother, made the 211 mile journey from Detroit to Columbus on September 18th, to start me at my new home.

My room is nice. In fact, it's great. My roommate Franklin bought a gray rug to go on our floor. It makes the room feel less like a dorm and more like a place to live. My desk is opposite the other three desks in our room and I adorned it with posters of "The Matrix", "The Blair Witch Project" and "Mortal Kombat." With all the little things that we did to the room, it feels warm...as cheesy as it sounds. I actually like coming back here.

My roommates are great...eh, I'll give it a few weeks for that feeling to wear off. I have three roommates and here are some pictures of them...

Ben is the guy in the orange shirt with the big smile. He is a very positive guy which makes being around him a great time. Sterling is the one in the white. He can be quiet some times but we are just waiting for him to break out of it. Franklin is the one in the black. He talks to more females than an Avon Rep.

Frequently visiting our room are some of our good friends from around our dorm and around the campus. No worries, they are good people ...I think.

Ben, Franklin, and Jennifer

Martina taking a break

Carissa being caught by the cam

Prince chatting on the phone next to Franklin

When people would tell me about college, I would always wonder why they were so busy all the time but now I understand. OSU is huge and there is always something to do. I remember, just a while ago, I was sitting at home bored out of my mind. Now, I can barely stay in my room because I am always out somewhere doing something. If it's not class then it's studying or doing something for fun or working. I have been doing all three and I still haven't began working at the student paper. Everything here is so active and there are so many ways to get involved. I love it here.