May 1, 2011: Good News Everyone!

When I woke up this morning I did not except it to be an interesting day by any means. And for the most part it wasn't. I went to work, came home around 10:30 pm, hurried over to Sonic's next door with Dandrich to get dinner, and came home to watch some TV before going to bed.

However, around 9:30 when I checked my phone for text messages there was a notification from the Huffington Post announcing that the President would be addressing the nation later that night. I didn't have much time to think about as we were preoccupied closing the store, but I assumed it had something to do with the bombings in Libya. As I headed to my car I checked the front page of the Huffington Post to see what President Obama had said. There was no further mention of it on the HP at 10:30 ish so I forgot about it.

When Dandrich and I returned home, I turned on the television and begin flipping through the channels to see what was on. As I passed over  CNN the headline "Osama bin Laden is dead" caught my attention. I called Dandrich over and we turned to MSNBC to watch the President's speech.

Watching the celebration of many outside the White House, I turned to Dandrich and asked, "Do you think people are doing anything here in Columbus?"

"Probably on campus," he replied. So we hurriedly pulled on shoes and rain jackets and headed over to Ohio State campus. As turned down Woodruff Avenue, we saw students in shorts and T-shirts, some in swimming attire, but all with towels, running across the street toward the middle of campus. This is actually a very common sight at Ohio State, but usually only on the Thursday night before the Ohio State - Michigan game. On that night hundreds of students brave the freezing cold to jump into the tiny yet scenic Mirror Lake by the South Oval.

Figuring that all these students must be headed to the same place, we made our way toward Mirror Lake.  This is what we found when we got there:

I guess the only thing Buckeyes hate more than Michigan is terrorists.

Happy Turkey Day!

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.  ~Cicero


So, it's been awhile since I have updated. My apologies. I've been adjusting to a far less-demanding schedule. But I'm back now to my regularly scheduled postings. 


Thanksgiving combines several of my favorite things: good food and good company. So does Christmas but that is so commercialized today. It's always nice to go home over the Thanksgiving weekend and see people you haven't seen for several months. But more importantly, thanksgiving is about appreciation. 


It's easy to overlook Thanksgiving as just another stupid American holiday but this is probably the one holiday whose purpose I fully support. I truly people that people, especially Americans, don't take enough time out of their lives to appreciate everything they have. Don't get me wrong, times are hard for a lot of people right now, however, I think that is all the more reason to think about the good things you have in life. By reminding yourself of the good things, it makes the bad things seem more bearable. 


More than that though, giving thanks shows the people close to you that you acknowledge all that they have done for you. We do things for each other all the time, little and small, and we don't always remember to say thanks. 


I think it is especially important for Americans to give thanks because we are are lucky in so many ways. For all of America's faults, we still have a high standard of living, many of our schools are the best in the world, and compared to many areas we live in a mostly peaceful society devoid of violent conflict. 


Here are some of things I'm thankful for, in no particular order:
1. I am happy to be surrounded by my family and friends, and for everyone's good health.
2. I am thankful that I have gotten my law school applications out of the way already. 
3. I am excited to watch Ohio State beat Michigan for the what, seventh time now? 
4. I am thankful to have a roof over my head and for the employment that I still have.
5. Finally, I am thankful for the experience and opportunities I have had in the past year and those that will come in the next.


So this holiday, take a few minutes between bites of turkey, before you line up for Black Friday, and after you've finished watching the big game to really sit and think about everything you have to be thankful for.