Fresh Perspectives

GO GAMECOCKS!!!  Our victory over Clemson on Saturday was definitely the icing on my Thanksgiving cake!  But before we get to the game, I'll tell you a little bit of what I did over the break.

First, I visited my Me-Ma (that would be my grandma) in N.C. and pretty much ate the entire time.  I had the normal turkey and dressing type stuff but also indulged (I love using fancy words like indulged...it makes me feel smarter!) in some 'scrumdidliumptious' pecan pie! Then I visited my other grandparents and ate more!  Friday night, I watched 'Wedding Crashers' with my grandparents. Ha! Writing this just makes me laugh. We've all seen the movie, so just picture the "You shut your mouth when you're talking to me" scene or Vince Vaughn and his "stage five clinger"!  Needless to say, I don't think my grandparents though it was as funny as I did.

Then with Saturday came the good and the bad.  I woke up extremely early...to go shopping.  Now, I'm not the normal girl when it comes to shopping.  I despise malls, simply because they're usually over-crowded and they smell like a mix between Chinese food and Cinnabons.  (Let me clarify this:  Chinese buffets are some of my favorite restaurants and I could die for a freshly baked Cinnabon right now, but the combination of the scents in a stuffy mall.....no!)  But anyway, I promsied my mom I'd go shopping with her so I could pick out my Christmas gifts.  We arrived at the mall at 8:00 am and shopped a good 4 hours.  I was dying by the time we left.  The USC vs. Clemson game had just started so we found a restaurant where we could eat and watch the game.  We are both die-hard Carolina fans, and I'm pretty sure everyone in the restaurant was thankful when we left at half-time so they could enjoy some peace and quiet.  The ride home was painful...we listened to the game on the radio, and I was literally about to jump out of my seat.  We pulled into my driveway with less than a minute left.  My mom and I ran full speed inside to turn on the tv just in time to see the Clemson kicker miss the field goal! It was so dramatic, you would have thought we each won a million dollars.  I don't think I've ever screamed that loud before in my entire life.  It was the best feeling ever...beating Clemson at their stadium! All I can say is.....it's about time!!!

So, yeah, my Thanksgiving was really great.  Now, i'm back in the dorm and I'm already stressed out again.  Three papers due and one huge test in the next three days!  (I need a prayer!)  So, I better get to studying....

 **REMINDER:  Don't forget to turn in your applications by THIS FRIDAY, December 1st!  Good Luck!

Posted by Kendall at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I was sitting in class this morning (yeah, unfortunately none of my classes were canceled) and I started thinking about Thanksgiving and all of the traditions surrounding this holiday.  Suddenly, I was overcome with a genuine sympathy for turkeys.  I mean really, I actually got sad thinking about those poor little creatures and how basically their sole purpose in life is to be eaten by large families on a Thursday in November.  How would we like it if the entire turkey population gathered for food and fellowship and the main course of the meal was human and dressing? (What a morbid thought, I know.)  I just figured I'd put things into perspective.  So, there I was, sitting in class, truly considering quitting eating turkey cold-turkey (wow...that was an aweful joke!), when I decided how ridiculous I was being.  I'm sorry turkeys, but I WILL be eating you for Thanksgiving, and I WILL be enjoying it!

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I will update ya'll on my Thanksgiving adventures when I get back next week! Have fun with your families and eat lots of turkey!

Posted by Kendall at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Taylor...I grew up listening to this guy and finally had the chance to see him play live for the first time Friday night.  It was by far one of the best conerts I've ever been to, and believe me I've been to plenty of them.  When I first found out he was coming to town (he played at the Koger Center) I told my parents that this would be a great thing for us to do "as a family".  That sounds pretty good, huh? I decided on the "family" thing instead of the "I'm the typical broke college student, so can you pay for my ticket" thing!  Anyway, the tickets sold out pretty fast and we were one of the last to purchase them, so we all ended up sitting separately.  This didn't bother me at all; I just wanted to see JT!

Now, like I've said, I've been to a ton of concerts, but this one was a new experience for me.  I think I may have been one of about 20 people under the age of 30 there, but I sort of expected that.  Also, this was the first show I've ever seen where people sit down during the music.  Regardless though, I had a great time.  James Taylor spoke to the crowd and told stories in between songs, which made the experience really personal.  He played all of his best songs like "Carolina in My Mind", "Fire and Rain", and "Sweet Baby James".  But the best part of the night was when he came back onstage for his 2nd encore and ended the show with "You Can Close Your Eyes".  That is my #1 favorite song by James Taylor and I was almost positive he wouldn't play it since it's not that well-known.  My face lit up when I heard it! It was definitely a great way to top off an awesome night!

 Oh yeah, I wanted to send out a special thanks to the nice couple sitting next to me at the concert for tolerating my singing during pretty much every song.  Let's just say God didn't bless me with the best voice ever!

Posted by Kendall at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, these past four days are arguably the worst of my life.....here's the story.

Saturday:

My car gets wrecked. (I've had to explain this story a countless number of times to parents, friends, my boss, the insurance company, so I'd rather not tell it again.)  Let's just say, it sucks.

Sunday:

I get yelled at alot for the events of Saturday (aka: my nearly totaled car)

Monday:

I got carpooled to college. Yeah, that's right, not having a car is extremely inconvenient.

Tuesday:

I actually begin the day in a fairly good mood.  I have 3 tickets for Ben Folds (one for myself and the other two for my brother, Kyle, and his friend Charles), so I have something to look forward to.  Classes go by fast, work was uneventful.  Lauren, one of my best friends picked me up from work and we got a bite to eat.  Then we went to my dorm so I could wait for my brother to get into town.  Kyle calls about 7:15 (the concert starts at 8) to tell me he's here and to come downstairs.  So, I sign Lauren out and walk out to her car to get some things. Her car is nowhere to be found.  It got towed. (Thanks a lot, City of Columbia.) So now, I'm without a car, and Lauren, my main source of transportation for the past 3 days doesn't have a car either.  Don't worry...it gets better. 

Kyle, Charles, and I get to the show about 10 till 8. We were a little worried when they first decided to come down that they'd have to show a Carolina student ID to get in, but the lady at the Russell House who I bought the tickets from assured me that they wouldn't have to since I was already using an ID to purchase the tickets.  Well....lady at the Russell House, you were obviously WRONG.  The people working the door were relentless, so there was no way they could have gotten in. "UNBELIEVABLE" (Kyle...that one's for you) I'm thinking, how could my life get any worse right now. I felt horrible since they drove from Charlotte just to stand outside the door of the Koger Centre. Kyle and Charles were really nice about it though, so the 3 of us decided we'd just head over to Salty Nut to hang out for a while. And of course, the fun doesn't stop there.  Charles definitely got hosed by the waitress who walked away mid-order.  We all kind of sat there asking ourselves, "Did she really just walk away mid-conversation?"  But we finally got our pimento cheese tator tots that weren't pimento, but whatever, they weren't that bad. 

Anyway, the night ended when Kyle and Charles drove back to Charlotte and I decided it'd be best for me to just go to sleep early.  I didn't want my bad Karma to follow me anywhere else.

Wednesday

So far, so good!!!

Posted by Kendall at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Girls love it.  Boys tolerate it.  The movie, The Notebook, starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling is way up there on most girls' 'favorite movie' lists.  It's definitely one of my top 10.  But although I love the movie I will admit that the book is even better!

That's right, I just finished reading Nicholas Sparks's novel The Notebook earlier today (for the second time).  I read it first about 2 years ago on a vacation to Hawaii.  I'm a pretty slow reader, but I finished it in 2 days (let's just say I was anti-social for those 48 hours).  But anyway, Saturday I made a trip over to Books-a-Million to pick up a copy of the Great Gatsby for English, and got a little side-tracked.  I ran across the Notebook and remembered how much I adored it, so I began reading.  Forty-five minutes later, I was walking to my car with 2 books instead of one, and then proceeded to sit in my car for another 20 minutes to finish the chapter I was on.  I know I'm showing my dorky side, but no joke....the book is THAT good.  Even if you've seen the movie already, the book is WAY better.  It's a definite 'must-read' (at least for girls). Ha!

Posted by Kendall at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bring out your CAROLINA PRIDE....it's Homecoming Week!

This week, leading up to the Homecoming football game on Saturday, is filled with many exciting activities on campus that encourage spirit and pride in USC.  Last night, for example, was Spurs and Struts.  Different clubs and organizations competed in a variety of different categories of dance.  It was a blast to watch.  I was amazed at the time and effort it took to coreograph some of the routines.  Tonight is the Teddy Geiger concert on Greene Street, and Friday is the Homecoming Parade and Cockfest. 

Not only is Homecoming week tons of fun, but it's great to see what wonderful students we have here at Carolina.  Our student body is so diverse, yet we all share one thing in common and that is love for our Gamecocks.

 Hopefully this exciting week will end with a victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks, but if you know anything about USC football, it's not to get your hopes up. (Only kidding, I always have faith!) GO COCKS!!!

Posted by Kendall at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)