The Great Egg Drop

While many college students are out having "a good time" on Thursday night, my friends and I from church have our own version of fun. Last night our HOOT (Hanging Out On Thursdays) activity was guys versus girls game night. We started off with some trivia games followed by four men on a couch. To finish off the night, we had The Great Egg Drop. Each team was given a package of bendy straws, a roll of tape, and five Exponents to build protection to keep our two eggs from breaking when dropped from a certain height.

Everyone got to work right away. We started putting the straws together in squares to make a cube for one of our eggs. We made two cubes and put newspaper on one side of each cube. The egg was then put between the newspaper on the cubes and taped in there. As long as it hit on one of the ends, this egg should be safe.

Our other idea was to wrap the egg in newspaper. If it was loose enough to make a cushion, it should absorb some of the impact of the fall. We also taped a bunch of straws to the newspaper hoping this would help. It may have looked like a mess, but looks didn't matter. We just wanted to protect our little egg.

The guys had their own ideas. They made a bigger cube than we did and filled it with newspaper with the egg in the middle. Then they wrapped the cube in newspaper to keep the egg from falling out. Their other design also had the egg in the center but this time with no cube. Then straws were taped pointing in two directions around the outside. The ends were then bent down to make "feet" to support the structure when it hit the ground.

Now it was time to test them. We all went outside to see them dropped out of the second story window. To our surprised none of the eggs were eliminated. We needed something bigger. Where could we go? We ended going down the street to the University Parking Garage. Surely this would do the trick.

We handed over our eggs, and they were taken to the top. Which eggs would survive? We got there just as an exam was getting done, so people were looking around trying to figure out what we were doing. Some of them even stopped just to watch. Once the sidewalk was clear, it was time for the drop. One by one they fell. Sadly, both of our eggs broke, and neither of the guys' did. If only they would have landed the way we expected, they would have been okay. Oh well. We had fun anyway.

I encourage you to go out and have some real fun with your friends. Think up some new ideas. Be creative. Have a good time that you will remember the next day. I know these activities are usually the highlight of my week. I can't wait to see what we will do next!

Body Image

People are becoming more and more obsessed these days with how they look and how people look at them. Why are people not happy with the way they are? They always want to be different. Society is putting so much pressure on people, especially females, to be skinny. This pressure is now coming at younger and younger ages. We see images on TV and in magazine which are unrealistic to most people. Many of those images are not even real. They have been digitally altered. However, young girls do not know this. They just want to become like those images and will try their hardest to accomplish this goal. Some of these girls even take this to unhealthy measures which only turns out badly in the long run.

The other night, my hall sponsored an event where we got free pizza for dinner. While we were eating, we had a chance to talk to the people around us. One of these conversations really bothered me. It came from a guy across the table. He was talking about how he viewed women and was saying that they should never weigh over 150 pounds. He then went on to say that his daughters better never weigh more than 140! He was going to force them to work out all the time, so he wouldn't have fat girls. The guys around him tried to tell him that he was being rude. They asked him if it was okay for them to weigh more if they were really muscular since they would be at the gym a lot. He countered this saying that he had seen some pretty "ripped" girls before which only weighed 125, so they would have no excuse to be much more than that.

This is just one example of something that causes people to have a negative body image of themselves. Everyone has a different body build. While 140 may be overweight for some, it could be unhealthy for others. A healthy body is so much more than a number on the scales, but when others are always pointing out your flaws, it is hard to stay positive. You want to listen to what they are saying even though it can be hurtful. It also harms your self esteem. You question why you are the way you are and even start to put yourself down. Instead, you should try complimenting yourself and those you come into contact with each day. Not only will you be building your self esteem, but it will also benefit those around you. Maybe they would even catch on and join in on the kindness. I mean, who wouldn't want to help spread positive messages. In increasing your self esteem, you will also improve your body image.

Do you think that a California girl is supposed to have curls and wear a jean size 3?
All the curves in all the right places, spray tanned faces just like on TV?
And we read in the gospel of Vogue that we're all suppose to dress and move and be
Visions of perfection
Such a misconception
'Cause the real connection is deeper than the eye can see.

As I was writing this, these words from Mandisa's True Beauty came on my iPod, and the lyrics caught my attention. They made me stop and listen since they went so well with what I was doing. In this song, she talks about how the world has all these expectations for the way we should look and act. This is not what is important though. We need to worry about our true beauty. In time, our looks will fade, but who we are will stick with us. The guy from the above story needs to be more worried about the way he raises his daughters rather than if they meet his pound expectations or not. A beautiful personality will allow your outward appearance to shine. Would you rather be remembered for your body or your character?

Do You Really Know a Person?

People go through many changes during their life. A big one is the change from high school to college. This is when many people go out on their own and start making decisions for themselves. You get to see who everyone really is. Students are often advised not to live with their best friend as freshman because they will end up hating each other by the end of the year. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that you may not change in the same way and develop different values which may pull you apart.

Recently I found out about some of the changes my friends from high school have gone through. While some of them are still as wonderful as they used to be, others have gone downhill. A guy that I had almost every class with last year is now a heavy drinker. Another friend that I graduated with finished the semester with a GPA of .16! When I heard these things, I was shocked. They were both fairly motivated students in high school and were even in the AP classes, but their new found freedom here at Purdue got the best of them. I hope that they realize the mistakes that they are making and return to the people I used to know.

I encourage you to think of these examples as you continue to change throughout your college career. I thought that I knew these people, but it turns out that there was a side of them I hadn't seen. Don't disappoint those who care about you. One decision can change their opinion of you, and it is always harder to regain their trust than it is to lose it.

Intensity Comes to Mackey

Saturday's men's basketball game was intense to say the least. The game versus Michigan started off well for Purdue. They kept Michigan scoreless for the beginning of the first half. However, they only managed to score four points for themselves in this amount of time. While neither team was scoring many points, it still looked like a win for Purdue. I mean, what fan wouldn't think this of their team? Before long though, Michigan had caught up. The score was kept close from then until halftime.

Just before the half, Purdue's Robbie Hummel reached for the ball and was knocked to the ground by one of Michigan's players. Hummel, who has been having back problems recently, laid there on the court until after the buzzer sounded. Meanwhile, Michigan dribbled down the court to make a basket, putting them in the lead at 26-25. It was questionable as to whether they scored the points before time ran out, so the referees had to review the play. Purdue coach, Matt Painter, was also arguing with the officials at this time because he believed that Hummel had been fouled when he was knocked to the ground. All this cause the fans and especially the Paint Crew to boo continuously for several minutes. It was so loud that you couldn't even hear "Hail, Purdue!" as the team left the court.

After halftime, Michigan went to the line to shoot free throws from a technical foul. We wondered where this technical came from. The half had just started, and no plays had been made. Had the NCAA made a new rule against booing and called this foul on the Paint Crew? Later my friend and I found out from another fan that the technical was called on Painter. Evidently his arguing at the half had gotten out of control, but he was just trying to defend his players.

No one expected what was to come next. When Manny Harris received the ball from one of his teammates, he turned hitting Chris Kramer square in the nose with his elbow. Kramer immediately fell face down on the court. I did not get to see the play due to a tall guy with big curly hair in front of me, but I knew that whatever happened wasn't good. People started to stand on the bleachers in order to get a better view. Once I got a chance to see, I saw Kramer just lying on the court. He wasn't moving, and I was worried. I hoped that wasn't hurt too badly. He had blacked out, and when he came to, he found himself in a pool of blood. He rolled onto his back, and the crowd gasped as they saw the blood on his face and the court. The trainers treated him while the referees decided what to do. The Paint Crew had an idea. They started chanting, "Throw him out!" in reference to Harris. And that is what in fact happened. While this seems like a harsh punishment, I couldn't imagine how the fans would have treated him the rest of the game if he had stayed in.

After this, I figured that Hummel and Kramer would both be out for the rest of the game. However, it was Hummel who shot the free throws for the technical called on Harris. The team played with more intensity than ever going on a 30-8 run. Kramer also came back into the game wearing a face mask with a little less than 15 minutes to play. Even though you could tell the mask bothered him, Painter would not take him out. There was no way Michigan was going to win. Kramer was taken out with two minutes left to play in order for the bench warmers to get some time on the court. The Boilers went on to add a 67-49 victory to their record.

In a post game interview, player from both Purdue and Michigan agreed that Harris's punishment was probably too severe, but there was nothing they could do about it. The referees thought that it was intentional, so they just did what they thought was needed. Kramer's nose ended up being broken, and he had to have surgery on Wednesday. Last I heard, he was in a lot of pain. He is still able to play but has to wear a protective mask for the next three weeks, and will have to have another surgery most likely after the end of the season.

An Experience in Culture

While I was home over the weekend, I found out that I would be having lunch after church on Sunday with a group of students from South Korea. No one really knew much about it, but I was excited about getting to meet people from a different culture.

On Sunday, we found out that they were here for two weeks on an exchange program between their school in South Korea and Indiana University of Kokomo School of Nursing. This is the 7th year that IUK has been part of this exchange. The five girls, Sojin Kim, Hyeongju Kim, Hyejin Park, Hyojun Park, and Ahrang Song, ranging in age from 21-23 came with their professor, Dr. Hyo Soon Jang, to experience school at an American university. They arrived January 17 and are leaving tomorrow the 30th to go visit Chicago before heading back home.

Since the Director of Nursing at IUK goes to my home church, the girls came with her on Sunday. We were introduced to them, but we were not told the name of their school right away. I just assumed that it was some Korean name that none of us would be able to pronounce anyway. I couldn't even pronounce the girls' names! Later we found out that their school had been founded as The Jesus University School of Nursing in South Korea. Over the years the name has changed several times from Margaret Pritchard School of Nursing to Margaret Pritchard College to Margaret Pritchard University. Recently, they decided to go back to their original name of The Jesus University.

During lunch, we found out that the girls had a love for soups, fruits, and vegetables. They also found their love of junk food while they were here. It was just another way for them to fit into our culture. Americans are probably the most unhealthy eaters in the world. We will see if they miss our wonderful foods such as triple chocolate cake once they get home.

While they may prefer the healthier foods to our unhealthy yet delicious snacks, one thing will always connect girls together. That is fashion. One of the girls, Ahrang, came up to me while I was arranging the vegetable tray just to say that she really liked my shoes. This gave us a little bit of a conversation starter, so it was really fun for me to get to talk to her for a little bit.

Before they left after lunch, the girls presented my pastor, Keith Treadway, with a gift for Korea. He opened it, and inside was a wall hanging with the South Korean flag and some Korean writing on it. We never figured out what it said since it was written in older Korean characters, but it was still neat to see how different their language was from ours.

Meeting these girls was a really fun experience for me. I always enjoyed getting to know the foreign exchange students in high school, so this was no different. I think part of this has to do with my love for travel. My goal is to someday travel the world. Hopefully I will get to go see some of my new friends in their hometowns like they got to see me.

The Band Plays On

In high school, band was a big part of my life. I did marching band, concert band, and pep band each year. I also did some jazz band and winter percussion. Each year, the pep band hosts an alumni night at one of the basketball games in January. This is a time for past Maconaquah band member and also alumni of other schools to get together to reconnect and share their love of music.

This year's alumni night was on Saturday. Being my first time as part of the alumni, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go home for the game. I had always gone before, but that was because I always knew that some of my friends would be there. Sure I still knew some of the current members, but it was still going to be different than it was before. My parents kept telling me that they thought it was a good idea for me to go. My mom even talked to the director, and he said to tell me that I had to be there. Finally I called home on Friday night for someone to come pick me up, so I could go to the game.

When I got to practice before the game, I was immediately greeted by some old friends. I was so excited to see them. I was glad that my parents had talked me into coming. Then I heard someone behind me calling my name. It was my section leader from my freshman year. She was the person that I was most excited to see. She had been someone for me to look up to during my 8th and 9th grade years. She had played the piccolo like me, and I wanted to be able to play as well as she did someday. With what she taught me during those years, I was able to take her place as the piccolo player after she graduated and also became section leader in my senior year.

The turnout that night was bigger than I expected. I think we had more alumni than I remember from any other year. After going over the songs that we would play during the game, we headed down to the teachers' lounge for some snacks and a trip down memory lane. Each year, the lounge is decorated with old pictures and memorabilia from the years gone by. This year, pictures from my graduating class were added. It was just a fun time to get to look through the pictures at how the group has changed over the years. There were even some pictures of my director's years in band.

It wasn't just my old band friends that I got to reconnect with that night. I was surprised to see a couple of my other friends that I graduated with. I got to talk with my friend, Kayla, who now plays basketball for Indiana University South Bend. Her brother still plays on the high school team, so she had come down to support him in his game. It was good to hear from her about how her season was going since I don't get to see her play anymore.

In all, I was glad that I got to participate on alumni night. If your school has a night like this, I would encourage you to go. If not, find a school around you that does. It's fun to go back and enjoy some of your old hobbies. You never realize how much things meant to you until you don't have them anymore.