Don't You Think I'd Tell You Baby If I Only Could?

Congratulations to Ben Grant for correctly naming "Gravedigger" by Dave Matthews as the Friday Song of the Day.

After a day out on the rocks today in Castlewood Canyon State Park, we will be heading to the trailhead tomorrow afternoon. They always keep the mountain that we climb on staff week a secret until we arrive, but it must be somewhere with a lot of snow because we were issued snowshoes this afternoon. I've never used snowshoes before, but late May on a Colorado mountain seems like a perfect time and place to start.

This will probably be my last post until next Friday, so don't start worrying when I am not posting in my usual everyday manner.

Could You Make It Shallow So That I Can Feel the Rain?

Congratulations to Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Babylon" by David Gray as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

Well, the journey continues today from Clayton, New Mexico to Colorado Springs. We should be arriving "the Springs" sometime in the early to mid-afternoon where we will meet up with the rest of the Trek staff. I am glad that I spent last summer in Abilene participating in the internship but it is very good to be heading back to the mountains for the summer.

Current Reading: Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River by Peter Heller.

I wanted to finish up Guns, Germs, and Steel before I left for the summer and began Heller's book yesterday morning. I'm not sure if I take comfort in the fact that the level of wilderness that I will be experiencing this summer does not begin to compare to the experiences that Heller chronicles as he follows the exploits of the first descent of the Tsangpo gorge, but I know that it makes for good reading. Some adventure buffs have called the descent of the Tsangpo the world's last great adventure challenge. That point is debateable but the magnitude of the achievement that Heller details is not.

"I had just committed to going into the Tsangpo Gorge. For up to 50 days. I wasn't sure of anything-of myself of Lindgren (the expedition leader)-but I knew this: Once you commit to something risky and bold, life unfolds with increasing richness and wonder."--Peter Heller

I'm not sure when I will be able to write again but definitely look for another post next weekend talking about my first week out on trail with the rest of the Trek staff. Until then...

All the Lights are Changing Red to Green

Congratulations to Ms. Heather Norman for correctly naming "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John as the Tuesday Song of the Day.

Well, tomorrow I will be leaving for the great state of Colorado and a summer at Wilderness Trek, but the good news is that we just changed to a nationwide calling plan, so if you feel like calling during the summer, I would love to hear from you. If you need my phone number, just send me an email at jts02@acu.edu and I will be glad to give it to you.

This is the first post from the laptop and I am glad that I will be able to use it this summer to post here, answer e-mail, and post pictures from my adventures this summer. There will probably be around 1-2 posts per week but take solace in the fact that they will pack a lot of info.

Current Reading: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.

Summer Reading List (so far):

• Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides
• Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life by Richard Ben Cramer
• Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden
• Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River by Peter Heller
• Annapurna by Maurice Herzog
• The Broker by John Grisham
• Integrity by Stephen L. Carter
• Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado (on a daily basis)
• Colorado's Fourteeners: Volume II by Gerry Roach

That's the list as of right now. If you have any suggestions or books that you would like to send me (I wish), please feel free to make those recommendations known. Until later....

You'll Marry a Music Man

Congratulations to Ms. Heidi Hipp for correctly naming "Julius" by Phish as the Monday Song of the Day.

As a very recent college graduate, I am no stranger to commencement speeches. It seems that even though these speeches might often be cliche'-filled exhortations towards following one's dreams, they should not be the primary focus of the the commencement ceremony itself.

One might think that collegiate administrators charged with developing the program for their universities' graduation ceremonies would consider that idea, but lately that does not seem to be the case. In the past four days alone, there have been two separate instances of commencement speeches unfairly stealing the spotlight from the deserving graduates.

First, John McCain's speech at the commencement ceremonies of the New School in New York City was met with criticism from students and faculty members alike. Senator McCain was asked to speak by New School President Bob Kerrey, the former Democratic Senator from Nebraska.

Second, Condoleezza Rice's speech at Boston College on Monday drew the ire of students and faculty at the Jesuit institution, who protested the Secretary of State's speech by standing and turning their backs during her remarks or by the display of banners.

My problem with these two situations is not directly related to the policy decisions that these figures have made in regards to the current war in Iraq, but instead focuses on the decisions that the figures at the New School and Boston College made when they decided to invite McCain and Rice to speak.

It is important to make a college a place where the exchange of ideas is highly valued and conflicting opinions are given the opportunity to interact but is graduation the best setting for that interaction?

I Began My Descent Down the Cold Granite Steps

Congratulations to Dan Carlson and my mother for correctly naming "Pink Houses" by John "Cougar" Mellencamp as the Friday Song of the Day. Dan, just so you won't feel too bad about sharing the limelight (excessive as it is) with my Mom on this one, she also guessed it while we were sitting at the dinner table on Saturday night. Yes, my Mom guessed the song lyrics from my blog post at the dinner table. Welcome to the Scott family everyone!

In response to Chris's question: I will be working at Wilderness Trek Christian Camp in Salida, CO this summer. Cody, I will do best to get Grapevine, but there are no guarantees here.

In a news story that you only notice on a day like this, Mr. Braxton Bilbery made history as the youngest person to complete the swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco. Now, I recognize that this is a significant achievement, but couldn't his first major swimming record come somewhere a little less notorious than "the Rock". Just think, Braxton, one day your name could placed in history alongside Al Capone and the Birdman. Congrats.

He's Got An Interstate Runnin' Through His Front Yard, You Know, He Think, That He's Got It So Good

Well, I have returned from the land of corn and The Fighting Irish. I'll try to write more tomorrow, but for right now here are some quick thoughts before I head off to bed.

• In one of the more bizarre coincidences, the Corvette Assembly plant is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Thus, Bowling Green is the site of the National Corvette Museum, which is conveniently located off of Interstate 65. You would think that the National Corvette Museum would be somewhere like Santa Barbara or something but it's in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Go figure.
• West Memphis, Arkansas might be one of the more depressing places to live in America. It looked like the most exciting thing to do on a Friday night was going to the dog-racing track. I would also like to mention that the aforementioned dog-track is located in the sweltering Mississippi river bottoms. West Memphis, folks. Don't overwhelm the realtors.
• I'm pretty sure that my father places heretics, terrorists, and people who drive slow in the left-lane in the same general category of disdain. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but it is not an excessive one.

Hopefully, I will be able to write a lot this week before I head up to Colorado for the summer. I just purchased a new laptop this past week and that should allow me to post weekly this summer when I am off-trail. No guarantees here though folks, only aspirations.

This Isn't Who It Would Be If It Wasn't Who It Is

Congratulations to Mr. David Sessions for correctly naming "Crosstown Traffic" by Jimi Hendrix as the final undergraduate Song of the Day.
I want give my thanks to Mrs. Riggs for this great picture from yesterday. I am sure that I will post more pictures from this past weekend later, so be looking for those.

I really wish that I had more time to write about the graduation festivities, but since we are leaving for Indiana at 6 in the morning, I'm going to sleep instead of writing, but I'll have more next weekend when I return from the Hoosier State.

I Can See a Traffic Jam Straight Up Ahead

Around ACU, it's kind of difficult to ignore tradition, especially during the University's Centennial Celebration. Today as I walked across campus, I am surrounded by tents being set up for tomorrow night's Graduation Celebration and Festival. If I didn't know what was being planned, I would almost think that they were setting up for a rock concert on the Mall between the Campus Center and Moody.

Being a first-generation ACU student, it was an interesting transition into the world of Welcome Week, Homecoming, and Sing Song. Numerous people on campus come from families where going to ACU has been a family practice for multiple generations. Perhaps I have a different perspective on the choice of where to attend college because my parents never pushed any particular collegiate affiliation while I was in my formative years. Unlike some, I didn't come out of the womb practicing my Sing Song face. My family doesn't have its name on any buildings and my parents didn't push me to join any particular social club on campus.
I'm sure that those with long family histories at ACU have had wonderful experiences here, but I think my experience as a first-generation Wildcat has been an incredible one. 4 years after deciding to come West, I leave here as a different person than the 18-year old who moved into Room 206 in Mabee Hall. I'm leaving one of the crucible periods of my life and I cannot wait to see what is next.

I'm Tryin' to Get on the Other Side of Town

Congratulations to Ben Grant for correctly naming "Sloop John B." as the Tuesday Song of the Day. The final Final was completed yesterday and now I am just enjoying the life of a college student awaiting graduation on Saturday.

I'll have another retrospective/sentimental post later today, but for right now, I would like to provide another plug for the Sports Guy, who has a brilliant idea in his latest column.

Now, I've never been someone who understood the great appeal of fantasy sports but I have friends that do. Maybe this is embarrassing, but I have friends who are members of fantasy tennis and pro wrestling leagues. Perhaps some would respond with suggestions of recuperative therapy for these unnamed friends of mine, but I really think that the Sports Guy's suggestion of a possible Us Weekly fantasy league could lead to a new world of enjoying sports, entertainment, and politics.

How about a fantasy league for the U.S. Senate? Imagine this conversation: "Guess what, I just picked up Barack Obama off the waiver wire this week and he already participated in three filibusters. What a steal!" This could be huge. I'm not sure what I need to do about copyrighting this idea for a political fantasy league, but if anyone knows the name of a good intellectual property lawyer, I would love to have it.

See How the Mainsail Sets

Congratulations to Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Marching Bands of Manhattan" by Death Cab for Cutie as the Monday Song of the Day.

I also want to wish my Dad a very happy 53rd birthday. My Dad and I always had a deal that if he and my mom helped me to get through ACU, I would one day repay them by buying them (my Dad) a Harley once I became a hyper-rich lawyer with the ability to purchase expensive motorcycles like other people buy Corn Flakes. As recent photographic evidence on this blog has demonstrated, my Dad simply could not wait until I graduate from Baylor in three years.

As I promised yesterday, here are some musings on my collegiate experience as I am about to graduate. Since the recent opening of the Learning Commons in the Library, I have probably been to the Library more in the last month than my previous 4 years combined. Many of my fellow students could probably say very similar things. It's funny how the simple addition of computer stations, a pseudo-Starbucks, and the subtraction of rows and rows of books can change the entire dynamic of what was supposed to be the center of learning and study all along.

I know that I am probably going to be spending an incredible amount of time in the Baylor Law Library over the next 3 years, but perhaps because of a twisted part of my psyche, that actually excites me. Maybe I'll be singing a different tune a year from now but right now the prospect looks pretty promising.

They Would Make Your Name Sing

As I have previously written, earlier this semester I had the opportunity to hear Stephen Carter of Yale Law School speak at an event during the ACU Centennial Speaker Series. Like most authors/speakers, Carter had some of his merchandise on sale after the event, but unlike most of the events I have attended in the past, I was persuaded to purchase two of Carter's books simply because of his presentation during the luncheon.

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that someone who has clerked for a Supreme Court justice and who teaches at one of our nation's most prestigious law schools would be a much more gifted in the realm of non-fiction versus fiction writing, but it is Carter's first fiction work The Emperor of Ocean Park that has opened my eyes to his tremendous literary ability.

It might be the fact that I have probably read one too many John Grisham novels, but when I began Emperor I was not anticipating anything special from Carter, but for those of you who enjoy the work of Grisham, prepare to be taken on a long, enjoyable ride by Carter's narrative. At times it is difficult to determine if some the editorializing that Carter's narrator, Talcott Garland, is simply window-dressing on the story or if Carter is using a fiction work as another means of continuing the national discussion on race, class, and power, but the novel twists and turns through 650 pages that are filled with a world of characters and settings that work so well because of Carter's firsthand knowledge.

The length may be daunting, but if you are looking for a legal and political mystery/thriller with more depth than you acquire in the typical Grisham novel, I would recommend Emperor in a heartbeat.

I Wish We Could Open Our Eyes, To See In All Directions at the Same Time

Congratulations to Ms. Heather Norman for correctly naming "Konstantine" by Something Corporate as the Thursday Song of the Day.

Sorry for not writing the past few days, but I had to take part in a little trip down to Lake Buchanan on the final pre-graduation weekend. Due to the lack of rainfall during the past year, a leap of off the famed waterfall was not possible unless I wanted to walk (or hobble) across the stage on Saturday with two broken legs.

Everyone that is graduating on Saturday could probably say the same thing about their specific situation, but 4 years ago I would have never been able to plan where I am now and perhaps that is how it should be. That is part of the inherent joy and mystery of our lives. Some of our best-laid plans never come to fruition, while other aspects of our lives that we never expected to mean so much have come to mean the most.

If all of this sounds like the sentimental ramblings of someone approaching a milestone moment in their lives, please excuse me, but part of my experience with this blog is attempting to make some sense of what I am experiencing and how the events of my life are shaping my understanding of myself and the world that I live in.

This week I only have two finals, so I'll be checking in throughout the week with my observations from the last week of my undergrad experience. Grace to all of you.

We Played Out on This Movie Screen

Congratulations to Mr. Jacob Hamlin Roseberry for correctly naming "About Mr. Brown" and "City on Down" by O.A.R. as the last two songs of the day. I'm pretty sure that almost qualifies Jake for the next Harley giveaway, but we will have to see.

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is it about the tone and bearing with which people communicate that has so much to do with how we receive their message? This morning in Ethics class I was struck by this thought as a member of the class who was making valid points during the debate lost some of their credibility and consequently caused their position to become less attractive simply because of how they communicated their ideas.

I realize that the true weight of the argument must still lie with the ideas themselves but the method in which those ideas and positions are conveyed has a much larger bearing than we might think on our decisions regarding those ideas.

Now I Walk Through a Valley of Color

For the moment, let's ignore the disturbing resemblance between Stephen Colbert and Bob Saget, and instead focus on Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night.

I'll start out by saying that the bizarre video featuring Helen Thomas was the comedic low-point for Colbert on the evening, but everything else was pretty dead-on. As many have said, Colbert was his usually hilarious self, but this time he was staying in character with the main recipient of most of his barbs sitting only a few feet away. I'm pretty sure that kind of focus is what separates the great comedians from the also-rans.

Perhaps a large number of those in the audience on Saturday night are not familiar with Colbert's sthick or maybe they simply do not find him funny, but I'm pretty sure that whatever you think about his humor, you have to respect the man for his chutzpah. (Yes, I just used two Jewish-terms in that last sentence, and yes, I am okay with that. )

In one such instance, he criticized reporters for likening Mr. Bush's recent staff changes to "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." "This administration is not sinking," Mr. Colbert said; "this administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg."

What Can You Say About Tomorrow?

Congrats to Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" by Travis as the Second Monday Song of the Day.

This seems like the obvious answer to the question, but a committee composed of Duke faculty agreed that the recent behavior of the lacrosse team at their university was completely unacceptable while not going as far as to recommend the dissolution of the team as a whole. I'm not even really sure why the option of disbanding the lacrosse program at Duke was an option since the issue has nothing to do with the game of lacrosse itself and everything to do with the culture of violence that is sometimes propogated by excessive drinking.

If Duke administrators are concerned with the unacceptable actions of the lacrosse team, perhaps they should understand that those actions are definitely not isolated to the lacrosse team, but are probably symptomatic of a larger problem that exists on their campus in terms of alcohol abuse and the methods that are used to enforce the university's exisiting policy in regards to alcohol.

I'm not really sure if I buy into the argument that the nature of the sport of lacrosse somehow contributed to this incident, because if involvement in sports that include violent collisions and aggressive behavior were to blame, there would probably be a much higher incidence of illegal and unacceptable behavior among football and hockey players nationwide.

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Added at 4:49 P.M.

P.S. Joey Halbert was a lacrosse goalie in high school. I'm pretty sure this fact has no bearing whatsoever on what I wrote above but it warrants mentioning.

Is It Because I Lied When I Was Seventeen?

Congratulations to Ms. Jordan Purser for correctly naming "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes as the first Monday Song of the Day. Ben G, I've never heard that song by the former Mr. Christie Brinkley, but if there is a lyrics overlap, I apologize. Well, more accurately Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the Black Crowes, should apologize, but he has no idea that this exchange ever took place, so I'll do it for him.

Andrew referenced this article in his comment today, and I wanted to provide a link on Friday, but my internet was acting up, so it is a few days late but still very enjoyable. Dan, this essay might be hard for you to read because for some reason Chuck decides to start writing in all caps to make his point, but don't let that bizarre action discourage you.

She'll Tell You She's an Orphan, After You Meet Her Family

Here at the beginning of my last two weeks of college, let's take a little time to set the stage.

Here are the relevant statistics:

• Days until I graduate: 12
• Classes I am taking right now: 2
• Finals: 2
• Hours I spend in class each day: 1-1.5
• Times that I am going to Chapel in the next week: Possibly 1
• Hours that I am working in the SA Office: 0 (after Changing of the Guard last Thursday night)
• Intramural Sports I am playing: 1 (Softball)
• People that I need to antique: At least 68.
  

So that's about it folks. The next two weeks are going to be a full experience in what some people like to call living the dream. For those of you out there who have graduated from college, I fully welcome your suggestions about how I should spend my last two weeks. For those of you who will cross the stage in the future, send in your suggestions so that you can live vicariously through me as you still slog through your undergraduate careers.

P.S. That Rangers comeback last night was fun wasn't it?