Registration

The registration process to me was a lot simpler than all my professors and fellow classmates talked about.  It went very smoothly for me.  One reason it went so smoothly was because my adviser went ahead and signed me up for some classes that he knew I would have to have before our meeting that way I could get in the classes I needed before they filled up.  So the actual meeting only lasted for about 10 minutes which was nice.  I am taking a couple classes within my major and taking an archery class so I plan on next semester being better than my first.

new stereo

Last Friday afternoon I went and purchased a new SONY x-plode stereo for my truck.  It was a purchase that I didn't really want to make considering the cost of the stereo was 95 dollars.  The stock stereo I had in my truck before, the CD player didn't work so getting a new stereo was a must.  The only problem was when I got home I didn't have the right wiring kit so my day was full of splicing and re-wiring wires.  I thought it was going to be as simple as taking the radio out of the box and sliding it in, but it is never as easy it looks like it is going to be.

Braves end season

It was a tuff ending to a magical season run for the Atlanta Braves.  They ended up losing in the NLDS vs the Giants.  The Braves started the season out playing horribly with the bats not coming alive.  They dropped down to 9.5 games back out of first place in the NL East.  After a 10 game winning streak, the braves brought it close in the summer months and ended up leading by the all-star break and through the month of August.  A late win streak run by the phillies saw them take first place and win the division.  Injuries made the braves suffer in the closing weeks of the season causing them to struggle to find a way to even get their lineups straight.  A new manager for next season has me worried but at the same time, stoked.

Why are the fish not biting??

Lately I have struggled heavily to pull fish out of the water at the lake.  I have tried everything in my tackle box to see what the fish will bite.  Carolina rig, texas rig, swimbait, crank bait, you name it I have thrown in the water and haven't even got a look I don't think from the fish.  While im casting and reeling, I have differents thoughts run through my head.  A thought that maybe I am fishing the wrong lake.  The lake I normally fish is Lake Robinson in Greer.  I have fished there for a few years and have found a few spots that are always worth a try because I always catch a few in those spots. But when those spots aren't working, I know its not just me.  Another main key I saw was when I pulled up to the lake, there were no boats in the parking lot, a first for me.  Maybe when the weather gets a little bit cooler, the fish will jump back on my hook.

Listening or Taking Notes

Another struggle in a college classroom is retaining all the information that is taught in class.  Ms Looper is 100% correct when she says that there is a black hole outside the door and when you step into it, all the information you learned in class goes away.  A big problem I have is deciding whether to take a bunch of notes and not listen a lot, or listen and pay attention closely but don't take as many notes.  It is almost impossible to consume all the notes you need and hear every single word.  I probably hear every other word that is said in class.  In New Testament, so much information in shared in an hour and fifteen minutes it blows my mind.  When Rankin starts to lecture I have to decide whether to take lots of notes or pay attention closely. I am more of an audio learner so I do my best to listen more than I do take notes. I just hope it is beneficial to my grades I receive back.

UNC vs. ECU

East Carolina University came into Chapel Hill today not really sure of what would result from the game today.  With many of UNC's players still out due to NCAA violations, the TarHeels were coming off their first victory of the year vs Rutgers. This game has became a rivalry game over the last couple of years because whoever wins the game has bragging rights for the year.  The Tarheels started out slow on offense and defense allowing 14 in the first half and only scoring 14 including a pick 6.  Over the course of the second half the 'Heels looked like a new team scoring 28 points, and rushing for over 200 yards making the final 42-14 tarheels.  Hopefully this will boost the Tarheels confidence and help the 'heels chase the ACC Championship trophy.

ATL BRAVES

With the Phillies clinching their claim to the NL East pennant, the Braves still have plenty to play for.  The Braves and Padres are fighting for the final spot in the NL Wild Card race, the last spot for the playoffs.  With the Padres losing last night to the Cubs in a 1-0 heartbreaker, the Braves have a solid two game lead in the wild card standings, and control their own playoff destiny.  The Braves and Padres both play their final 3 regular season games vs the top teams in their divisions.  If the Braves can win tonight and the Padres lose, the Braves will clinch a spot in the playoffs. 

Studying?

Another huge transition from high school to college is adjusting my study habits.  In high school, I barely studied and now I see that it is coming back to haunt me.  With taking 18 hours, it is hard to retain all the information taught in class without some study or review of the material.  In high school, I could show up to class and take a test and do pretty well on it without doing any kind of studying.  A problem I have had with studying so far is studying the wrong stuff.  I studied hard for my New Testament test and after I took the test I felt like I had been defeated.  With reviewing the test questions the next class, I found out that I had just studied the wrong material.  If I can figure out how to study well and study the right stuff, I think i'll be ok.

George Strait Concert

On Thursday, September 16, me and a friend went to the George Stait concert in Columbia, SC.  The concert also featured Lee Ann Womack and Reba.  I am not a fan of Reba but George Strait is my favortie recording artist. Since the concert was mainly George Straits, I knew he would play last so I showed up casually late to make sure I didn't have to listen to Reba.  The King of country played for about an hour and 45 minutes straight and every song was a hit.  Altough there were a couple of songs I wished he would have played, the concert was great. The arena had great sound and I had a great seats which made the concert great.

First Essay in English 1310

Each essay I write always presents a new challenge.  Normally the biggest challenge for me is filling the word count or page length that is assigned and required.  Also what is a challenge is thinking of enough information to put in the paper.  This essay presented a new challenge I honestly have never faced in writing, keeping the length short.  I had so many descriptions to add in but I had to cut a bunch out because of the 400-500 limit.  When writing about a favortie childhood place, you have a bunch of things in your mind you want to put in your writing because it is such a special place. I managed to write 449 words comfortably and the essay still sound reasonable.  But it was a new challenged I have never faced in writing.

Time Management

Moving from high school to college, time management is very key.  In high school I had a set schedule everyday, but in college I don't do the same things everyday.  There are tons of activities to get involved in and can sometimes be a distraction to why your really in college.  I have found so far that a really good idea is right after you get out of class, go to your room and study for 15 minutes on what you just learned.  It helps prevent the black hole feeling you have when you walk out of class.  But if you balance your time in activities and school, you can be successful.

Carolina Football: Week 1

Going into the chick-fil-a kickoff game in the Georgia Dome, the North Carolina Tarheels football team realistically had no shot at winning due to some off the field issues.  The team had 14 players suspended for the huge game vs the LSU Tigers.  Seven of the players were suspended due to the ongoing NCAA eligibility investigation and the other seven were suspended due to not cooperating with team rules.  What was so bad was that 10 of the 11 starters were out on defense and also many offense starters were out.  Despite all the adversity the tarheels almost pulled out the win, which would have been a huge win since they were playing an elite SEC team.  It gave me hope for the rest of the season.