The Campus Socialite
This coming year, I’ll be “taking my talents” to The Campus Socialite. Check out some recent posts below (you may recognize some from this site).
Dream ONondaga: Preparing for Senior Year
Exclusive Interview with Viral Video Phenom Tyler Gildin of “Nassau (County) State of Mind”
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Muscle Milk
Dream ONondaga
In one week, I’ll be returning to the Inception-like dream world that is college. Although I’m eager to be back at my second home, thinking about the upcoming year has put my mind in a Leo DiCaprio-like limbo.
While I’m stoked for what’s coming, it’s hard to remain in the moment. There’s no escaping the reality that this is my Syracuse University Farewell Tour, and no science fiction subplot can hide the fact that my future has never been closer to the now.
College is essentially one enormous “pre-game” that helps make your cultural, intellectual, and social integration into the real world less awkward. I still feel like an incoming freshman at heart, but no college kegger can compare to the wild party I’m about to join – a true “rager” called life.
Nevertheless, with only two semesters until graduation, I’ll strive to work and play harder than ever. Balancing academic responsibilities with the freedom from other demands is the best way to make these last months as exciting and memorable as my first days (back when I was a naive, orange lanyard-wearing neophyte in Brewster Hall).
College is also a place for students to pursue their life’s dreams in a dream-like atmosphere. The idea that “anything is possible” applies more here than anywhere else (except for maybe inside Christopher Nolan’s head). While there are differences between dreaming while awake and asleep, our conscious goals and subconscious fantasies have much in common. We all want to visualize our happy dreams coming to fruition without interruption or nightmare. We also want to make discoveries along the way.
With this in mind, I’m excited to embrace new challenges, relationships, and ideas before my Syracuse dream comes to an end. I plan on “Carpe Diem-ing” my way through new experiences, while also making time for familiar friends and routines (as well as few Keystone Lights).
Although I’m starting the year with a positive outlook, I’m concerned that I won’t be able to accomplish everything I’ve set out to do in (and after) college. Dreaming big could ultimately set you up for big disappointments. I also realize that my determination alone may not be enough. While hard work can get you an A (at least in “Living Writers” class), it cannot guarantee success and fulfillment down the road. Still, there is no better time to explore the depths of our own curiosities and desires.
While my childhood dreams were shaped in Long Island’s Nassau County, my hopes for adulthood have been molded here in Onondaga. Syracuse University has provided me with liberation from adolescence, as well as a bridge to my life’s true journey. While a Magellan GPS can’t help anyone arrive at a rewarding personal destination, maybe dreams can.
Inception, Hollywood’s biggest summer hit, teaches us the importance of adapting to life’s changes. With big changes on my horizon, I was moved by the idea that we are better served confronting our realities than looking for more convenient (or in the movie’s case, imaginative) escapes. Still, it’s beneficial to note how the blockbuster film also shows us that dreaming is often breathtaking, confusing, emotionally charged, and unpredictable. Sounds a lot like real life to me.
Another Self-Titled Website…
My good friend Tyler Gildin has launched a website. As an aspiring stand-up comic, this lad makes Bob Saget sound like Mr. Rogers. Children and parents BEWARE.
Check out some of Tyler’s live performance videos as well as some of our cinematic collaborations. This embedded film has over 11,000 YouTube hits (& counting).
Also, don’t miss out on his viral video Nassau (County) State of Mind.
Palin and Suffering
Sarah Palin is more dangerous than Dick Cheney with a loaded AK-47. Last week, while speaking (or “tweeting”) out against plans for a new mosque near NYC’s Ground Zero, the former Alaskan governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee proved what many have suspected all along-that she is both ignorant and intolerant.
Palin’s comment, “Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate,” is equally as offensive to Muslim-Americans as it is to Noah Webster’s memory. Sure, Palin may be a self-proclaimed “maverick,” but using imaginary words isn’t nearly as brave or rebellious as it is stupid (either “refute” or “repudiate” would’ve been appropriate in this context).
Instead of simply revising the tweet, Palin suggested she was embodying the linguistic spirit of history’s most esteemed writer. She added, “ ‘Refudiate,’ ‘misunderestimate,’ ‘wee-wee’d up.’ English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!”
Huh?
While Mrs. Palin may have been trying to make light of her mistake, her messages were written in bullshit, not Iambic pentameter. Yes, her overt prejudice is more of an issue than her foolishness, but a public figure with her track record needs to be more conscious of what she’s saying, and how she’s saying it.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded to Russia’s favorite next-door neighbor by asserting, “Sarah Palin has a right to her opinions but I could not disagree more. Everything the United States stands for, and New York stands for, is tolerance and openness.” He added that constructing a mosque would be “a great message for the world.” He’s right. A symbol of diversity, peace, and understanding would undoubtedly help America progress towards a future more rich in these very things.
Insensitivity to 9/11 victims and their families understandably concerns some, but Sarah Palin’s social and political relevance frightens me much more. While she may have our “hearts” in mind, this doesn’t mean we can stop using our brains. Oh, Sarah…”pls refudiate.” Maybe then we’ll have something worth celebrating.
The NBA: Where Caring Happens?
There’s arguably more talent in the NBA right now than there has ever been in any professional sports league. Still, as a socially conscious basketball fan, I’m cynical about the game’s future.
While many star athletes are notorious for arrogance, self indulgence, and bad judgment, irreverence and disloyalty are currently the fastest spreading problems in the NBA.
Sure, the free-agency era has contributed to frequent roster changes and financial competitions rivaling those on the hardwood, but never before have we seen superstars carry out such public displays of ignorance, selfishness, and betrayal.
Whether the primary motive is competitive or fiscal, there’s usually NOTHING inherently immoral about a free agent choosing to leave his team for a better opportunity. Chris Bosh and Amar’e Stoudemire demonstrated this by fulfilling their contractual obligations to their respective teams, and venturing to new organizations with class this summer.
Unfortunately, the league’s biggest star couldn’t follow their lead.
We all know about the Lebron James “Decision,” and how the Ohio native essentially led a public execution of Cleveland in front of a national television audience on July 8th. Not even NFL prima donna Terrell Owens would be egotistical or foolish enough to host such an event (if he could still get a job).
...to you being a jerk.
The only thing more surprising than the King’s blatant disrespect for the Cavaliers organization, their fans, and the rest of the NBA, was his ability to out-scum reporter Jim Gray during this PR disaster (a feat most sports aficionados once deemed impossible). Justifying this “event” as a philanthropy endeavor had the opposite effect Lebron’s “inner circle” hoped it would achieve, as live television feeds revealed tearful Clevelanders turning their Lebron replica jerseys into “HEAT” uniforms by torching the hero-to-zero’s Cavs merchandise in the streets.
The Heat is On
Now, just several weeks after James embarrassed economically-depleted Cleveland, it appears another NBA star could soon be abandoning a different struggling location.
Chris Paul, the league’s top point guard, is reportedly demanding a trade out of New Orleans, a city which has recently endured far worse than a few mediocre NBA campaigns. While it’s hard to believe any sports stories these days (many “Lebron-Watchers” errantly vouched for “sources” all summer), Paul’s departure would undoubtedly sting the city and franchise (Hornets pun-intended). Unlike Lebron, Paul (a three-time All-Star who led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 Playoffs) has not played out his deal. With two years left on his contract, leaving the Gulf Coast now would make CP3 look almost as negligent as BP (not quite, but you get my point).
Of course it’s unreasonable to expect long-term commitments from all athletes in cities facing hard times. It isn’t too much to ask, however, for such glorified public figures to honor their agreements in the short run. Paul can go wherever he wants soon enough (just as long as he doesn’t ”take his talents” to ESPN when announcing his intentions), so for now he should focus on rehabbing his injured knee (CP3 only played 45 games last season) and helping his current squad in 2010-11.
There's no ME in CP3
(SIDE NOTE: While Paul has supposedly indicated he’d like to be a New York Knick, seeing CP3 in Orange & Blue would, to me, be bittersweet. Having spent some time rebuilding homes in Katrina-devastated New Orleans, I know this city and the entire region needs a beloved figure like Paul a lot more than NYC does.)
For years, the NBA has done an incredible job supporting outreach programs for communities in need of role models and support. It’s amazing to see the kind of influence young athletes (including both Lebron & Chris Paul) can have on people throughout the country and world. Players like Sacramento’s Samuel Dalembert (the UNICEF National Ambassador for his home of Haiti) have been advocates for important issues, and as inspirational off the court as they have been on it. Still, recent trends are alarming. Basketball is starting to look more and more like professional baseball, where small market teams struggle to retain stars seeking bigger paydays and spotlights.
As part of a league that prides itself on caring about its history and fans, NBA stars need to monitor their sport’s direction. If not, the league’s ambassadors may one day be even more phony than a certain announcement that recently took place in Greenwich, Connecticut.