Crunch Time

This is my favorite part of the year. I love all the papers due, all the final assignments, and all those wonderful exams. If I only believed that. Actually, it is exactly the opposite for me. I dislike all these papers, I despise these final assignments, and the final exams disgust me to the core. I procrastinate all year, not worrying about the end of the semester. But when the end of the semester actually comes around, my mind goes for a spin. Words of hate are at the edge of tongue the entire time. The only thing that I look forward to in this time is when everything is finished. Here is my schedule. Due this Friday is a 9 source, 10 page paper due for western civilization. Also due Friday, is an assignment for Spiritual Formations, and another assignment for Judaic Studies. Due the following week, is a feature story for this class, a 10 page reflection paper for Introduction to Bible, and a 7 page paper due for Spiritual Formations. Luckily for me, two of the three due next week are done. Man- o'- man am I going to be relieved once all of this is done!

Full Weekend

Ahhh... the smell of the hardwood, and the atmosphere of a game excites me. This weekend the Providence Freemen go on the road to face MCAC rivals. First up is St. Boniface. In their first meeting, the Freemen pulled out an impressive win with a score of 67-37. The hope this time around is to continue with the intensity, and dominate like last time. We will have to continue with our defensive pressure, and will have to shoot better than we did last time (unimpressively shooting 27% last game).

The final game this weekend will be a much tougher game then the first of the doubleheader. The Freemen face off against the Red River Rebels. The Rebels bring to the table a sharp shooting lineup, as well as some big post players. This matchup will be a tough one, but hopefully, in the end the Freemen pull out with a victory. LETS GO FREEMEN!

Hope in Midst of Disappointment

As the college season wears on, the nerves that were built up decrease drastically, and the confidence grows. This being my freshman year, I have had my up and down times. At the beginning of the season, the nerves were going wild, but now they have basically decreased to nothing. Also, as the season wears on, your playing becomes better. When you get in a comfort zone, everything seems to fall in the hoop. Tonight, the Providence Freemen took on the CMU Blazers in a rivalry battle. In the first meeting, CMU torched up the Freemen winning with a score of 83-51. Tonight, the Freemen were looking to turn the tables around. The game started out sloppy, but the half ended with CMU up only 9. But as the game wore on, the momentum shifted to CMU's side, ending in another defeat for the Providence Freemen. Even amidst this loss, the Freemen have a lot of positives. This game for example, was not a torching up like the last time these two teams met. The game tonight ended with a score of 81-62. It may look bad on paper, but the Freemen played really well in stretches. They drove to the hoop on many occasions, trying to draw fouls. They didn't seem to come very often, but this constant pressure being put on the oppositions defence is worth something. As the season wears on, the games will become better, and the team will begin to gel. We Freemen have to keep our heads high, because their is hope on the horizon.

So Tired...

I like my sleep. Sleep revitalizes my mind and gives me energy for the day ahead. I actually get excited when talking about sleeping in. Today was a complete opposite of my dream sleep. Since coach couldn't make it out for an evening practice tonight, he decided that we were all going to meet in the morning instead. So, I said fine, as long as it is not too early. Well, it turned out to be particularly early. Early as in 6 in the morning. So, me being a commuter and all, I have to wake up a few extra minutes earlier than normal so that I can get there in time. So this morning (I still consider it night that early in the morning), I woke up around 5 am. My beauty sleep was ruined, and my day is shot. My classes this morning were a drag, and I am yawning like every 3 seconds (exagerated, yes). This has been a very miserable morning. The best part is, I have to do it again tomorrow morning! Yay for morning practices!

The Time is Now

Anticipation and excitement filled his mind. Basketball had been Chris' life since he was a little boy. Having grown up in a home where only he and his brother played basketball, the drive for the game showed. He had to show his family that he was good enough so that they wouldn't find his hobby a waste of time. But the game turned into more than just a hobby. Fierce competition made his craving to be the best a big time goal. Nothing was worse than losing. Every night prior to a game, the nerves would jump, but once the game came around the nerves had to stop. It was all about showing confidence and showing that the skill he had was not wasted. And now after years of playing with passion and determination, a real step had arrived. This moment had been years in the waiting. Countless games had come and gone, but now is the moment where it counts. His life as a college basketball player was just around the corner. Time to show everyone what he was made of.

The day had arrived, and the nerves began to build up. It was game one of hopefully, a long and successful year. This game might have been considered an exhibition game to most, but to Chris it was a early season test. Was he able to play at this level? And more importantly, was he able to play at this level competitively? It was time to find out. The ball was thrown up, and the game begun. Back and forth the game went. Players were slashing to the hoop for easy layups, and shots were being thrown up. The game started off really sloppy and stayed there for most of the game. Obviously, the nerves were going off like a party in the stomach. Airballs were thrown up, and turnovers were rampant. Nothing seemed to being going right for either team.

As, Chris got subbed in the nerves continued to go crazy. The first few shots didn't look great, but as the game wore on, the nerves began to subside. Shots began to fall, turnovers didn't happen all that often, and the game seemed to come to him in a fluid manner. The game seemed to be fading away from his team though. The lead for the other team increased little by little. The opponents drained shots from all over the court. The fourth quarter began with Chris' team down by a bit. They were never able to regain the lead, but they were able to keep the lead at a relative stand-still. At the end of the game, the opponents won by around 20 points. It was a good first game for Chris and his team, but they weren't able to pull off a victory.

Game one was over, and it was time to fine-tune their play. The first step to his college career didn't go as planned, but overall the nerves didn't control him. All that was left was to go out to the next game with the same intensity and to bring home the victory. Only time will tell what the future brings.

Butterflies

Man, am I anxious! School is making me stress because I seem to procrastinate all the time. Basketball is making me stress out because this is my first college season. The eyes are on me. The fans are watching my every move, and so are my teammates and coach. The Butterflies in my stomach are having a party. They are just rocking out. What makes things worse is that I have my first official league game this Friday. The nerves continue because this is what they like to call a statement game. I got to get my head in the game early and make myself a threat right from the start otherwise my nerves will have gotten the best of me. I got to come out shooting and willing to do anything that the team needs me to do in order to win. So this Friday at 7:30 pm the moment will arrive. Hopefully, I can overcome the nerves and play like I mean it. Lets go PROVIDENCE!!

I Wish I Was a Coach...

I sometimes watch basketball games and find myself criticizing players and their coaches. I think, why are you not doing this, and why are you calling such ridiculous plays? But then I think to myself, I probably wouldn't do any better. But after yesterday's Raptors game I couldn't help but criticize. The game was a close one. The Raptors were in Phoenix, Arizona playing the Phoenix Suns. Both the Suns and Raptors play extremely well on the offensive end, but play no defense. This style of play leads to a lot of scoring and a lot of fun. Throughout the first half, the Suns held a narrow lead. But once the Raptors came out after half it became a different story. The Raptors pulled ahead and stayed ahead until the last minutes of the game. In the end, the Suns were able to keep their composure, take the lead, and after all was said and done, win. But one play caught my eye. The last play of the game, the Raptors are down one, the ball is in their newly aquired shooter. But then I ask myself, why not give the ball to your star player and let him work it out? If he can't get it done, then kick it out to your shooters! What happened instead, was they let their newly aquired player dribble out the clock and take a wild shot instead of taking the ball inside. Stupid, stupid, stupid! If I were a coach... oh boy if I were a coach!

Moon Life? Nah.

Today, a discovery was made. The huge discovery came after a trek to the moon. Found on the moon was water. And not just a little bit. There was actually a lot of it. NASA found a dozen, two gallon pails full of this water. This obviously lead to the ongoing question. Is there life on the moon? I think it's a joke, but people believe that there is life up in space. Im kind of making up the fact that people said this, but I think it is fun to talk about. Anyways, since there is water up there, that must mean that life does exist up on the moon right? I find it absolutely hilarious that people can really believe that life can exist in space. To me, the solar system is a big, empty place where things are dry, and no place for a living environment. I love watching the alien movies, where people find a civilization either in space, or where the aliens come to Earth. For example, Independence Day. The Aliens come down to Earth and attack. They are interesting movies, but there is no way that life can exist up in space. Maybe it's just because I'm naive, but seriously.

Freemen Basketball

Last night at the Providence facility, the Providence men's basketball team played with heart. And Im glad to be a part of it. Facing a team from the city of Winnipeg, the Providence boys played hard and came out with a win. The game started off slow with both teams not shooting too hot. But after a few minutes the team from Winnipeg caught a hot streak. They didn't seem to miss. Luckily for Providence, we were able to keep close going into half. The score at half was 39-35 for the opposing team. After half, we came out on fire. Quickly bringing the lead to a tie, we took it to them. The third quarter was dominant, draining threes, and making plays was what happened. We held the opposing team to only 7 points in the third quarter, and beat them by 21 points in the third quarter. We held that momentum going into the forth quarter with some stifling defense, and some more fast-break basketball. We again were able to keep them from only scoring 10 points in the forth quarter. In the end, the Providence men's basketball team was able to pull out a win. Next weekend is the real test as we play 2 home games. The time is now!

Awkward.....

My life is full of awkward moments. My favorite moments are the ones that happen after high school. You grow up with these people your whole life but you never really talk to certain people. These people cause the awkward moments that I am talking about. For example, you see this specific person at a wedding or another social event. You see them from a distance and you know something is going to come up where you have to talk to them. The moment arrives (and you know it will before it happens), but it comes at you surprisingly. Anyways, here is the line that always comes up. "Hey you! Long time no see!", or "Are you going to college?". It seems like this is the line that comes up everytime.

The thing is these moments will always be around, and you can do nothing about it. Life is full of awkward moments and you just have to live with them.

Adios

Sunday marked an opportunity for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to show that they weren't completely useless. That didn't seem to matter to them on this particular day. With a chance to lock up a playoff berth for the upcoming playoffs, the Bombers did all but help. Their defense was brutal. Every short pass that the Hamilton TigerCats threw was caught, and almost every run was successful. only a few bright spots occured in this game. 2 interceptions is all that they were able to muster up. What made things worse was that the offense wasn't firing on all cylinders either. No player seemed to be playing with passion. Passes were dropped, thrown away, and just plain ugly on occasion. The Bombers were able to keep it close in the first half, but things went downhill from there. In the end, the Bombers lost 39-17 and lost all hope of making the playoffs. The TiCats on the other hand, made it to the playoffs with this win, and look to bring home the trophy. Maybe next year Bomber fans (we always seem to say this).

Billy Mays: July 20, 1958 - June 28, 2009

On June 28, 2009, Billy Mays died suddenly of an unknown heart disease. Known for his booming voice, and his blue shirt and khaki pants, Billy Mays earned the love and respect of people all over the globe. Mays lived a successful, and honest life making informational commercials on cleaning products such as Oxi-Clean. The use of catchy phrases was Mays forte. He made people smile, and knew how to make people laugh. Billy Mays was always in a good mood.

Billy Mays is survive by his wife, Deborah Mays, his 3 year old daughter Elizabeth, and his 24 year old son, Billy Mays III. He is also survived by both his parents, Joyce Palm and Billy Mays Sr.

Billy Mays will always be remembered for his on-air antics. But what make Billy Mays truly special is his life outside of the spotlight. His executive producer on his first ever TV show 'Pitchmen' said it best. "As great as a pitch man Billy was, he was an even better man, and an even better individual." Billy has left his mark on the world, and will be remembered by his family, and fans around the globe. Prayers go out to his family and friends.

"He sold more Oxi-Clean than Andy Warhol sold Campbells soup." - Dean Panizzi, Mays cousin and reader of his eulogy.

Procrastination At Its Finest

Another day in the life of me. School, eat, basketball, and sleep. Thats just what I do. One problem with this schedule is that I have left out homework. Homework just hasn't beeen a big enough part of my schedule. I am what most people would call a procrastinator. Always putting stuff off which in turn, leads to my destruction in the end. I end up scrummaging for dear life in an effort to finish the assignment. That only makes me more stressed. I wish that I could only have the ability to stay focused earlier rather than later. I wish that I could just get an assignment done earlier than the night before. Maybe its just my nature to procrastinate. Maybe Im just lazy. Sometimes, for only a day, I wish I had the ability to finish something way before it was due.

Gimme Your Lunch Money

Oh, the joys of childhood! Free roaming around, having no care in the world. Living life to the fullest is what some people like to call it. Some kids have the freedom of doing almost anything they please, while others fight for survival in the world we like to call school. Bullies are rampant on playgrounds nowadays. Kids get beat up, and some kids beat up. I find that this is a very unfair aspect of childhood. At least in my narrow view of bullying, the small vulnerable kids are bullied. Is it the small kid's fault that he gets bullied, or is it just because he is the easiest target? I find that bullies pick on the smaller kids because they want to feel in control. Possibly because they too were bullied by their parents, elder siblings, and so on. What I don't understand is what makes this life so enjoyable? As humans, many of us don't look at the future consequences of our actions. Bullies need to realize that their actions of hurting other kids, will have a lasting affect on not only the kids being bullied, but will also have an affect on their own personal lives down the road. They will always be portrayed as the mean kid on the playground that cared for no one except him/herself. They will always have trouble finding good friendships because people will be afraid of them, and not want to be around them. Also, all the people that they beat up will be on their conscience for a long time. And I have a feeling that many of them will end up living a life of guilt because of their actions. So here is my advice to anyone who wants to hear it. Know what you are doing, for what you do now, will stay with you for the rest of your lives.