The little team that could (if it had a big team name)

Throughout my time at TCU college football has played a huge part in the school’s identity.  I entered the university during an exciting time.  We had just been moved to the Big 12 conference and were two years removed from winning the Rose Bowl.  With Casey Pachall as our quarterback and blowing out the first 4 teams we played I had extremely high hopes for the season (as did everyone else).  This, however, was not the case.  With off the field troubles Casey Pachall got kicked off the team for the season and put into rehab.  The backup quarterback was no where near as good as Pachall and our season did not do well.  To say the least this was a disappointment.  The following season Pachall was back (and sober) and we were looking good once again.  This, however, once again did not last long.  Pachall ended up breaking his arm and was out for the season once again.  Enter Trevone Boykin.  Playing in a position that he was not comfortable in Trevone did his best to take the place of Pachall but struggled throughout the season.  Looking frazzled in the pocket Boykin would often run for short gains or losses on almost every play.  Once again TCU football ended close to last in the Big 12 and was no where near where they used to be just a few years ago.  After my sophomore year season I had lost most hope within TCU football.  I was not expecting to be anything more than a 4 or 5 win team.  This perspective quickly changed, however.  After the first few games of blowing away opponents our team looked strong.  Boykin looked like a completely different person.  He was playing with confidence, swagger, and this sense that he belonged at the QB position.  He was also throwing the ball, which he rarely did successfully last year.  Not only was he throwing the ball, but they were long balls down the field.  This was unheard of last season.  After each of our wins piled up our confidence began to build.  Then came the Baylor game.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was not able to watch the full game because I was at a music festival but I watched the first half.  After watching the first half I was confident I could leave the viewing area and go wait for one of my favorite artists to perform.  As I waiting in the crowd I continued to check my phone for updates.  Right before the show began I checked one more time and saw that we were still up.  I was confident that we would win and put my phone back in my pocket and prepared myself for Eminem.  After an incredible show I had completely forgotten about the game.  It was not until I got back to our hotel until I realized that I had not checked.  So, I quickly pulled out my phone and checked the score.  I was in shock.  I had remembered us being up by a significant amount when I checked earlier.  How could this be? How did we blow our massive lead?  I started reading play by plays and got more upset as I did.  

With the Baylor game in the books TCU football was mad.  When the horned frogs are mad they don’t lose.  We went on to win out the rest of our season and finish the season ranked number #3 in the pre FBS football rankings the day before the actual seedings were released.  With an undefeated Florida State below us and two “locked teams” above us in Alabama and Oregon we were pretty comfortable that we would stay in the top four and play in the playoffs.  As me and my friends waited sunday morning for the real playoff rankings to be released we all had the Rose Bowl in our eyes.  As numbers one and two were announced no one was really surprised.  Alabama and Oregon both played fairly well and did not deserve to be moved at all.  Next was number three. As the commentators waited to see the team we all leaned forward thinking “Rose Bowl”, “Rose Bowl,” “Rose Bowl”… “and Florida State is number three” the commentator says.  We all sat back in awe.  We were surprised that we did not stay at number three but were still confident that we would only fall to number four.  The same process happened before they called the number four team…. “and Ohio State is number four”.  When these words were spoken the room erupted in anger.    

We were all furious that we had fallen out of the playoffs.  How did we get jumped by two teams.  To put the icing on the cake not only did we fall out of the top four we fell to number 6 below Baylor.  This ranking could not have angered every TCU fan and player more.  This entire season we had been ranked high, however, somehow within the last day of rankings we did something that deserved for us to drop 3 spots.  In my personal opinion I think that the drop was due to marketability.  If we were a UT Austin or an Ohio State type name we would still be ranked as number three in the country.  The little school that could was no more. The tiny university from Fort Worth that had proved itself all season was now ranked a measly number 6.  All I know is that Ole Miss better be ready for a game because not only are they getting a number 3 caliber team they are getting a pissed off number  3 team.  Garry Paterson said it best “there are no guarantees.  To ensure that you are in the playoffs you just have to win all of your games so there is no debate.”  I would be afraid if I were Ole Miss.  In addition Baylor should also be afraid because our final home game next season will have one of the best atmospheres in all of college football.  

Family, Exams, and Movie Stars: Meeting With My Speaking Partner

                    Throughout the semester both the speaker partner, Ricky, and I have both been extremely busy.  Wether it has been exams, work, or family visits, it has been a struggle to get together.  We were, however, able to find time to get lunch tuesday afternoon.  We met at Chick Fil A to catch up and see how each others semesters were going.  As I prepare to take the most important tests of the semester Ricky just finished his.  Ricky aspires to go and finish his undergraduate career at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  To do this Ricky had to study and pass an english exam that says he’s prepared to enter into schooling there.  This is one of the reasons Ricky hasn't been able to meet up recently.  He has been studying intensely for this exam over the past few months.  As he explained the exam to me I just thought how hard it would be for me to complete a similar exam in a foreign language.  Writing, reading, listening, and speaking were the major parts in the exam.  Taking a total of four hours, the exam seemed like a nightmare.  It reminded me of SAT and ACT exams back in high school.  Spending the entire day saturday to take the exam was never a fun experience.  As Ricky talked about his test he seemed relatively confident that he did well on it and his hopes were high that he passed it.  I was excited for him.  This test was a big step in him continuing his life dream of being a missionary.  In addition to discussing his test we talked about having our families in town.

                    Around the same time my brother visited for the K-State game Ricky’s Godfather came and visited him.  He said that he was excited to see him and that he was happy he came.  Like my brother Ricky’s Godfather was able to meet all of his friends that he had made at TCU.  He said he was very excited to show him his church friends as well.  Ricky’s Godfather is a missionary who also has the same strong faith that Ricky has. In addition to discussing our families visiting we also talked about what we did for thanksgiving.  Ricky explained how he has some family west of Fort Worth that he went out and stayed with.  He talked about being able to practice his driving skills for his driving test (which he also recently passed) and waking up to go hunting.  I think listening to him talk about his hunting experience was the most interesting part of his thanksgiving.  He explained that it was extremely weird to him to be able to get a gun so easily.  In Honk Kong there are specific gun regulations that both require a lot of money and extensive paperwork to own a gun.  For these reasons, he said, most people just don’t own them.  In addition since Hong Kong is a city there are not many places they can go to shoot guns even if they did have them.  This is why he was so excited to go hunting with his Texas family.  He said that he remembers waking up at 5am and going out to the hunting post that was in a tree.  Spending much of the day looking for deer to hunt he said he started to shake due to the cold weather.  The day ended in a sort of unpleasant fashion because they didn't kill anything, however, Ricky said he had a great time because it was the first time he’s ever shot or held a gun.  Ricky also explained how when he called and told his friends back home that he had shot a gun and passed his drivers test they were extremely jealous.  They equated his life to that of a movie.  Similar to guns, cars in Hong Kong are very expensive and require a lot of money to get.  This is the same for drivers licenses.  For this reason the majority of people just ride bikes or take public transportation.  I kind of knew this too because when I went to China that majority of the people I saw either took cabs or rode bikes.  

                Overall it was really nice to meet up with Ricky again before the semester ended. It was good to hear that he thinks his test went well and that hes going to be able to enroll at the seminary.  I think that he will do really well next semester if he is able to enroll.  We made plans to catch up one more time before we both go away for winter break.  We decided that we would try and get lunch next week at some point.  I look forward to hearing what his results are on the English exam and how his two finals end up going.  

Family Visit: K-State Game

My speaking partner and I have both been extremely busy over the past month and have not had time to meet.  One of the reasons why both of us were so busy is that we both had family visit us in Texas.  In my case my brother flew down to experience TCU and Ricky had his family fly in to visit him.  We were both very occupied showing our family members around the area.  We decided that we would focus on our family members and meet up after they had left and we had some more free time.  

It was the week of the K-State game and my brother was flying in on thursday.  I was excited for him to come down and see TCU.  He had only been down here once when I first moved in as a freshman, and a lot has changed since he last came.  In addition TCU had, arguably, its biggest game of the season this weekend.  Even though I was excited for him to come visit it was a little stressful because I had two tests the following week.  This meant that I would have to entertain my brother while finding time to study as well.  This proved to be a harder task than anticipated.  In addition to my tests I also had to work.  I felt bad leaving my brother at home on friday while I went and worked for 8 hours but I had to do it.  I was able to take lunch off, however, and go to Texas De Brazil with my brother.  This is one of his favorite restaurants and was something that he was looking forward to doing when he came down so the day was not a complete waste.  After work my brother and I hung out at my house and played a little basketball at the rec.  Saturday morning was next and we both were very excited for the game.  As we got ready we decided which tailgates we were going to attend and when we were going to head over.  We decided to go to a friend’s house and then to a fraternity tailgate so he could experience it.  My brother seemed to be at home with all of my friends and said he thoroughly enjoyed the tailgates.  After the tailgates it was time to go to the game.  We had stayed a little late at the tailgates and were walking over to the game later than we wanted.  As we walked up to the stadium I remember seeing my brothers face light up.  We both went to a small high school and never had large attendances at our high school football games.  As we entered the stadium I could tell that it was unlikely we’d find a seat in the student section.  We walked around the student sections and looked for openings.  Unfortunately we were not able to find any so we had to sit on the upper deck.  

The upper deck was a lot different from the student section.  In the student section, sitting down was unheard of, however, in the upper deck almost everyone was sitting down.  This section was filled mostly with parents and alumni so the “feel” of the crown was much less energetic.  Although it was not as an exciting atmosphere I enjoyed sitting up there.  At one point in the game my brother had to use the restroom and left the upper deck.  As he was returning ushers would not let him back up to the upper deck so he snuck into the student section and found some people he recognized from the tailgates.  He stayed down below and watched the game until halftime when I went down and met up with him.  At this point a lot of people decided to head home so there was enough room in the student section.  We both went back down to the student section and enjoyed the rest of the horned frog victory in proper fashion.  After the game we went back to the house that the tailgate was at and celebrated the victory.  

On sunday I had planned to study for my two tests, however, it did not go as planned.  My brother was scheduled to stay until Monday so we spent the day relaxing and hanging out at the house.  Although it was nice to have my brother in town it was very time consuming and left me with no time to study for my tests.  When my brother did finally leave I realized how much work I had put off and had to pull two all nighters to study for my two tests.  Even with the all nighters it was very much worth the time spent with my brother.  I had not seen him for almost 6 months because I spent the summer in Fort Worth working.  Overall the weekend was a success and I enjoyed both watching the frogs destroy K-State as well as hanging out with my brother.  Only time will tell if he also chooses to become a horned frog.    

Thanksgiving Break

It seems that every year for holidays my family finds ourselves in another state or country, usually on a beach.  Although I am not saying that I do not enjoy these vacations, I do miss out on family get togethers.  For example, last year my family went to the Bahamas for thanksgiving and Marco Island in Florida for Christmas.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed these vacations and would not trade them for anything, it did stink not seeing my family and friends.  This is why when I was told that we would be spending Thanksgiving at home this year I became excited.  This meant that I would be able to see all my family and friends that I normally wouldn't be able to see.  This particular Thanksgiving was a good one to have at home as well because I have not been home for longer than a weekend since last christmas.  Working in the Fort Worth area during the summer I did not have the time to make it home.  When I arrived in Massachusetts I was greeted with a new truck that my dad had bought and “forgotten” to tell me about.  After getting over this initial shock it was time to drive home.  As we left Boston’s Logan airport I began to recognize the route home.  It has been a very long time since I had to take the “Mass Pike” to get home.  After about an hour I arrived home.  It was about mid day and my family was preparing the house for the Thanksgiving meal that was going to happen the next day.  I spent the first day joking with my siblings and filling in my family with what I had been doing for the past 9 months.  

The next day Thanksgiving arrived.  As my mom was busy in the kitchen she called all of her children in to help prepare the house.  She gave us each a task to execute once the guests arrived.  I was given the hummus platter, my sister the cheese platter, and my brother was assigned chips and dip.  As the first guest arrived we sprang into action.  Setting out the platters in their appropriate areas we looked like a professional catering service.  Once the platters were set up it was time to mingle.  “How’s school?”, “Anything new?”, “Are you dating anyone?” were some of the common questions that I had to answer about 20 times.  With the repetitive questions aside it was fun seeing some of the family members that I haven’t seen in a while.  Once 2 o'clock came it was time to eat.  Endless turkey, mac & cheese, stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes.  As I filled my plate, I remember thinking that this was, without a doubt, going to be the best meal Ive had in months.  I made a conscious decision to enjoy every bite.  As the meal ended we had some small talk for a little while and then went to ride our snowmobiles.  This is, by far, my favorite thing to do in the winter.  For those who don't know, a snowmobile is essentially an ATV but for snow.  Every year I always try to come home for at least one weekend where my town gets snow so I can ride them.  After we were done riding the snowmobiles it was time for TCU football.  I had been looking forward to watching the game all day and a victory would put a cap on a perfect Thanksgiving at home.  As the game started I had high hopes on us doing well.  Throughout the game our offense struggled, however, our defense was able to pick up the slack.  As the game progressed our offense began to play better and eventually was able to outscore UT by 38.  With the perfect ending to a good Thanksgiving I was even happier that this year we decided to go home instead of going to a destination vacation.  This was especially important because we are planning on going away for Christmas break.  

The final thing I did for this Thanksgiving break was go and visit my friends in Boston.  The majority of my friends chose to stay in the New England region for school and live in either Boston or the surrounding area.  It was interesting going into Boston and seeing how it would be living in a big city for college.  The apartment that my friend rents was very small and was much less appealing than my two story house that I currently rent.  It was, however, nice to catch up with all of my friends from high school.  I haven't seen most of them for close to a year and we had a lot to catch up on.  Overall this was a very successful Thanksgiving break and I had a lot of fun seeing my family and friends.  I am, however, excited to go to California for Christmas break.  

My Return to the Water Gardens

Trip to the water gardens

When I first found out we were having a class down at the water garden I was immediately excited. I have only been to the water gardens once and I remember it fondly. It was freshman year before school had started. I signed up for Casa C frog camp, which is the one based in the Fort Worth area. Since I live in Massachusetts, frog camp was only the second time I’d ever visited the Fort Worth area. I think it was one of the last days of frog camp that we were scheduled to go to the water gardens. If I remember correctly, it was meant to be a shorter event before we all came back together as a camp and discussed the week. Even though it was scheduled as a minor event in the day I think it was one of my favorite parts of frog camp. I was very confused when they said we were going to the “water gardens.” To be honest I really had no idea what to expect. I assumed that it was going to be like a few fountains or something in downtown Fort Worth or something similar to the fountains in Sundance square. When I first walked up to the park I thought it was kind of in a weird area. In downtown Fort Worth near a highway on ramp is not the most scenic area for a place called the “water gardens.” As you enter the park, however, you seem to leave the city and enter an oasis within the metal jungle. As you go farther into the park the noise of cars leave and all you hear is water. Its an interesting feeling going from downtown to feeling like your in a park. When I first walked up to the main water fountain I was in awe. It was more than just a fountain. It was something completely different. It was like a giant waterfall in the middle of the city. Even though we were only there for roughly an hour it was fun walking around the fountain and feeling the mist in the heat of the summer.

 As Dr Williams explained that we would be going there for a class I was overfilled with joy. Thoughts of that day at frog camp immediately came back. As the weekend came to an end the monday we were scheduled to visit the water gardens had finally come. My class prior to Lit and Civ had been canceled so I was able to leave my house a little early. When I pulled up to where the park was I soon remember the “concrete jungle” that the park was settled in. As I tried to find parking I looked around and remembered how strange of a location this park was in. It took a solid 10 minuets until I found a parking spot within walking distance from the water gardens. I was about 50% sure I was not allowed to park there but I was tired of driving around. So, with my car most likely going to get a ticket, I set out on my adventure to the water gardens. I crossed two major roads and entered the park. This time, however, I entered from a different area than when I visited during frog camp. This time I entered from the far side of the park and walked by two fountains that I did not recognize. One had several small mist fountains all coming together to form a misty collaboration in the middle. The other fountain was a small pool where the water ran down the walls of the pit that it was positioned in. I did not remember either of these fountains from my first trip. I think I was too over whelmed by the main fountain structure that I did not venture off into the park to explore. As I continued into the park I saw my other classmates sitting by the main fountain. I walked up and saw what I had remembered as the waterfall oasis in the concrete jungle. It was just as glorious as I remembered it. The large waterfalls running down the rock siding and emptying out into the bottom pit. As I sit there with the rest of my class I felt at peace. I don't know what it is about listening to the sound of running water but it is extremely calming. After awhile the class ventured down into the pit where the water was emptying into. I walked down and found an area to sit down and just listen to the water flow. The sound of water filled my ears and I was able to reflect about life and other issues that where affecting my life at the moment. I also thought how strange it is how quickly time passes. I have already been at TCU for two whole years. Two years ago I was a freshman straight out of high-school and now I am more than half way finished with my college career. Just like the water in the fountain time flows on not waiting for anything or anyone. After about 15 minuets the class had started going back out of the pit so I followed. As the class came to an end I reflected about how I came here two years ago and here I am again, hopefully wiser and more mature. Overall the trip to the water garden was very enjoyable. It brought back memories, allowed me to reflect, and allowed me to get away from the hustle in my everyday life.

   

First River Reflection

First River Reflection

For my first river reflection I chose a spot across the street form the botanical gardens.  I figured that this would be a good place to start because the city keeps this area relatively clean.  As I drive up I see the train filled with kids go by as some joggers run by my car.  As I park I remember all the times I’ve been down to this part of the trinity.  I think the first couple times I was apart of a group called LEAPS and I helped volunteer to clean up the trash around the river.  Because of groups such as LEAPS this part of the river is especially clean.  I remember walking down the side of the river and seeing joggers and bikers wiz by as yoga classes were going on to our left.  I remember being surprised at how much activity was going on.  I often heard jokes back at school saying that the trinity was extremely dirty and no one would ever go there to hang out.  This, however, was obviously not true (at least in this part of the river).  As I choose a spot to sit down and write this reflection I happen to walk by a familiar area.  I am having a tough time remembering why exactly this place was familiar but then it hit me.  I had come down here with one of the organizations I belong to and had a relay race sort of event in this clearing.  That day was fun.  We each were split up into teams and tried to finish a list of tasks and puzzles.  The day eventually ended in an egg fight as we got our hands on the egg cartons that were supposed to be used for the egg toss.  

I find my spot to sit and begin to enjoy the weather.  It is a nice Friday morning and the weather is perfect.  It is sunny but not to hot with a slight breeze.  There are some joggers running by and a few bikers.  The river looks especially clean and I can only think about the parts that we canoed through only a couple weeks ago.  The contrast between the two areas is extremely great.  Its hard to believe that one area can look clean while another part of the river can have trash floating on either side of your canoe.  

As I sit I hear the train go by again and wonder if adults can go on it.  Every time I drive by this area of the trinity I always think that it would be fun to hop on the train and go for the little ride.  I wonder what kind of looks I would get from the other parents on the ride that got dragged by their children.  Not wanting to go on the train at all they sit counting the seconds until its over as I hop up with a smile on my face and prepare for the short adventure.  I think the idea seems so fun because I can still remember a time when I was younger, at disney I think, where my family and I all hopped on one of their trains for a ride through a simulated rain forest.  This was such a cool ride and is such a great memory I think thats probably what I imagine this train ride being like, even though its about a 5 minute ride in an open field.  Either way I have enjoyed my time at the river and have seen a lot of interesting people and touched on some fond memories both from the trinity and other places.  I think for my second reflection I will venture to a different part of the Trinity and explore a lesser traveled path.  

My Fishing Activity

I have never been a huge fisherman.  Ever since I was a kid no one in my family thoroughly enjoyed it, however, we often seemed to go up to a small lake behind my house and fish.  This was especially true when I was younger.  I’m not sure what it was that kept us going.  The idea of fishing, to me, is very boring and not something that I enjoy doing, however, each time that my siblings and I would go up and fish we would always have a good time.  Just as the movie “A River Runs Through It” implies the fishing was more than just fishing.  Each time we would go up to the lake we would bond and spend time together.  We would first have to hike through our field and climb through some shrubs until we finally made it to the lake.  The lake was barley a lake as well.  It was a very small body of water that you could probably throw a rock to the other side if you tried hard enough.  Anytime we actually caught a fish it was no bigger than the palm of our hand and we immediately let it go because none of us even liked the taste of fish.  These moments, however, spending Saturday afternoon or a Friday night on our little lake will always remain cherished memories to me.  

This idea of the people your with greatly outweighing the actual activity is prevalent in the movie “A River Runs Through It.”  Even though the two boys thoroughly enjoy fishing they are getting the most gratification out of spending time together.  This bonding time allows them to forget all about their troubles and whats going on in each others lives and enjoy each others company.  This is how it felt when my family and I would fish.  It would just be a relaxing hour or two where everyone relaxed and forgot about real life.  In the movie the boys use fishing as an escape and do it often.  One example of this is when Paul decides to go back into the casino house when Norman tries to get him to leave.  As Norman is pulling out of the parking lot Paul runs up to the car and asks if he’d like to go fishing the next day.  Norman was visibly upset with his brother prior to this request, however, once fishing is brought up it appears that his anger is at least lightened.  

Certain people have different activities that act as fishing did for Norman and Paul.  I think that it is crucial to find your “fishing” activity to allow yourself to relax and unwind in times of stress.  I have currently found a new thing that I enjoy doing: listening to music.  I find music therapeutic and often just listen to music for hours surfing the web trying to find new sounds that I’ve never heard of before.  I have gone to multiple music festivals and concerts over the past couple years and have enjoyed them thoroughly.  Like the river I think that music is able to bring people together and allow them to forget about their troubles and whats going on in “real” life.  Its amazing how thousands of strangers can come together and enjoy the music as one.