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TCU Newswhat's REALLY happening on campus Meredith Alonso...Single DATE: Feb 25 SOURCE: Meredith She told me herself..."Rumor Mill update: Meredith is single." So here it is: she's single. UPDATE 2/27, MIDNIGHT: Alonso is single, we know this. Also, according to Anton's site, he is now actively pursuing a girlfriend. Odds of hooking up: 5 to 2!!!
Snow!
No Class DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 25 After an overnight Texas ice storm, TCU cancelled all classes on Tuesday. This was beneficial, I was thinking about skipping work to nap through the afternoon anyway. No need! After waking at 8 to ensure class was cancelled, I went back to bed until 12. The afternoon consisted of sledding by the stadium, watching The Graduate with Camillske, an endless search for food that led us to Fuzzy's (closed), Wings Plus (closed), Quizno's (closed), and Subway/Jack (both open). One of the Subway employees was a short white woman, about 40, with cornrows and a sketchy life. The other was a large man, maybe 20, who tried hitting on Jen. After he made a comment about "you're not easy to please" (after her difficulty in choosing a bread), I shook my head in agreement, since it's quite true. I think he took me as her boyfriend, but she's probably better off as my fake girlfriend than getting hit on by a real winner like that guy. We slid back to their apartment. Jen was supposed to pack (she's leaving for Seattle on Wed.). Camille and I went to sled with Allisa, Abdallah, and the Wabash boys (why do I call them boys? They're all like 25 or something). The night was capped by a revelation that I'm supposed to marry Tara and a viewing of Sixteen Candles. Whew! What a wasted day! Here's to hoping more class is cancelled Wednesday.
Monday Night Donuts in the Cressida!
Fire @ Thugz Mansion DATE: February 21 LOCATION: backyard, poolhouse, garage roof of Thugz Mansion ATTENDEES: 40 Before I even show up, Anton calls and asks me to bring more firewood. I know the trials of hosting a get-together, so I happily oblige. After purchasing a 3-liter of Code Red and two plugs of firewood, I realize that I can't carry it all, even the two blocks to Odessa (Thugz Mansion). Anton, a very gracious host appreciative of my help, sends for a chaffeur. The party. The Gallup Poll was mostly accurate, with representations from 6 sororities, but no high school chicks. The fire was fairly modest, providing warmth rather than entertainment for the most part. Truly entertaining was the fishing line rig that crosses Bellaire Drive. I spent some chilly yet worthwhile minutes on the roof of the garage with Boggie. She was up there with no shoes, on a cold shingled roof; I was impressed. Everyone appeared to have a good time, even the old school Odessa guys showed up (Munson, Rip, and Mayott). The party really got kicking once the crowd was whittled down to a handful. Anton crashed in his backyard tent, so Haverly was free to screw around with the fire. Adam Bartel shared a story about how he met Sarah Cody at a BNL concert in Chi-town and made out with her. Then they ended up at the same college, to add awkwardness to the situation. I was most impressed with Boggie's stamina. Her fellow Wayside ballas Snydie and Phillie left before midnight, but she was still hanging out on the poolhouse when I took off at 3am.
BYX Summit DATE: February 21-22 LOCATION: Mount Lebanon Camp in Cedar Hill Summit is a weekend retreat gathering all 12 BYX chapters together for a weekend of fellowship and fun. All chapters were represented, I believe, those being TCU, SMU, Oklahoma, Texas, SWT, A&M, Stephen F. Austin, Houston Baptist, Sam Houston, Baylor, Texas Tech, and UNT. Hatter is truly shrewd for building and bringing washers to play. A total of three random BYX guys I had never met came up to me and said they were fans of THE VOORN PROJECT. Here's a shout out to you, fellow Christian brothas.
Another House for sale on BYX Row DATE: February 23 LOCATION: 3120 Cockrell Avenue This morning, I noticed that the house directly north of Lil Cockrell is now for sale. Yesterday, they took down their Christmas lights. Don't get me started. This is a young couple with a young child, perhaps a year old. They really didn't fit into the neighborhood, since it's mostly college students. Here's our chance to continue the growth of BYX Row... Check back soon. I will take a picture of the house when there's daylight and post it.
Fire DATE: Saturday, February 22 LOCATION: backyard of the Odessa House (Thug Mansion) PREDICTED # OF ATTENDEES: 57 There's a rumor going around that on Saturday night, there's going to be a FIRE in the Odessa backyard. Eric Anton, Matt Ravanesi, Blake McNay, and Andrew Haverly will be throwing an outdoor get-together with food, guitars, s'mores, and beautiful people! Hang out on the back porch or in the poolhouse. This is one part-ay you don't want to miss. PREDICTIONS: Gallup Poll returns on female attendees: HIS 40%, DG 30%, Theta 10%, AXO 5%, unaffiliated 14%, high school chicks 1%
The Party!! DATE: February 14-15 LOCATION: BYX Row ATTENDEES: 50-60 After a week of anxiety about what was going to happen at this party that we didn't plan, John, Geoff, Tim, Ashley, and I gutted our teeth and hoped for the best. Turns out, it was a big success. We weren't sure how to work the two-house system, so we set up the speakers & DJ booth in our living room at 3128, and left the food and movie-watching to 3124. There was a lot of porch-sitting too, since the weather was perfect outside. No cops showed up, which surprised me. With loud music and a large congregation out front, I was almost certain we'd be slapped with a noise violation. One car rolled by about 3:10, but by then everyone was practically gone. Jessica Gibson had a wonderful time (since the party was planned for her) and the last to leave was Sarah Cody. John Anderson (of John's Diary fame) is writing a review of the party that he and I and others hosted. Look for it on Monday.
Saturday's Happenings DATE: February 15-16 LOCATION: Rio Mambo, Cockrell House, Krispy Kreme SOURCE: Beth, Jose, others Beth informed me of "her favorite restaurant in Fort Worth" (which she had only dined at once before), and invited Geoff, David, and I along for dinner. The restaurant is Rio Mambo, and after some poor directions, we found it. Dinner was excellent, the salsa was delicious, and the restaurant owner, Brent, was very accommodating and friendly, especially toward Geoff. After dinner, I began to watch The Godfather, but had to cut it short to be at Krispy Kreme for donuts. Several people tried the Dozen Challenge: eat a dozen donuts in 30 minutes. Bobby (at right) and Cici both did it in 12 minutes, and Dietz ate 20 in 30 minutes. I chose not to partake this time.
Cici was doing fine after about 5 donuts, as you can see at left. After finishing the dozen, she kind of wandered around the store in a daze. For about two minutes, some snow flurries started falling in the parking lot. Geoff, Erin, and others I don't remember went outside to prance and frolic about in the snow that wasn't sticking. Like I always say, Texas weather is strange. Just 24 hours before, people were sitting on the porch, playing dominoes in shorts.
Let's check on how Cici's doing:
She finished the dozen! Way to go. Note in the background, Mike Dietz just gets underway toward the record: 27 donuts in half an hour. As I mentioned previously, he only made it to 20. Brian Davis set the record of 27 over two years ago, at the Arlington Krispy Kreme, and it still stands today (the store and the record).
After KK, everyone came back to the Cockrell House, not to finish watching The Godfather, but instead, we watched Michael Jackson music videos (thank you eBay) and The Bourne Identity, or as I kept calling it, The Voorn Identity. I ended up chauffeuring five people home at about 3:15, Bobby, Bear, Billy, Thad, and Sarah Cody, who was the last to leave my house, for two nights in a row.
The BYX Date Auction!! DATE: February 13 LOCATION: Sid Lecture Hall 1 ATTENDEES: over 100 girls thirsty for a date! In high school, Andrew Lund and I came up with the bachelor auction idea for a fundraiser for our One-Act Play competition. We raised about $800 by selling 10 or 12 drama men. Last year, to raise cash for Island Party, we used the idea once again, tweaking it slightly to be a "Date Auction" with emphasis on the "date" not the "bachelor." It was a good idea, but this year, Eric Anton, the new BYX Vice President, really ironed out the kinks and made it truly lucrative and successful. WHAT WENT DOWN: 33 dates were sold, some single, double, triple, quadruple, for as high as $156. David Durnil and I auctioned off "A Weekend in San Antonio" and were purchased by two lovely ladies (Sunni - recall her from the Memphis trip, and Carol Ann) for 100 dollars. Some girls threw down the bills for guys they didn't even know! The press we got from the TCU Daily Skiff really helped too (read the article here). In the end, $2,412 was raised for BYX's annual outreach event, Island Party.
The Other Late Night DATE: February 13-14 LOCATION: The Dollhouse, IHOP on University SOURCE: Anton Thursday is usually Billy Bob's night, but the word on the street was that they closed early, probably because most of the regulars weren't out of the Date Auction until 10:45 or so. Anton and I were in his truck when we conceived the IHOP idea, but first, we needed to stop at The Dollhouse. Eric had been there before, but I thought of the name as we parked in front of the small, quaint house with yellow vinyl siding. There was a porch and a red door, and it was definitely a doll's house. Inside the Dollhouse lives Katie Boggs (Boggy), Courtney Snyder (Snydey), and Anna Phillips (Philly). We talked about the auction for awhile, I got a VIP tour, and then we went to IHOP, bringing Boggy along. She doesn't have Friday classes, must be nice. Then she approached me in the Main on Friday, saying that she was up at 8 to work out and run errands. Wow, what responsibility and devotion. I admire that. IHOP was packed with BYX guys and groupies, I didn't order anything, but Sarah and Jen put away a lot of pancakes, and Jen was dressed in her morbid, black apparel for Valentine's Day. VIEWS: As Craig Kilborn says, "when I was in college, the weekend started on Wednesday." Well, it's more like Thursday here, and for three straight nights, I was up until 3am or so. Grades suffering? I doubt it.
Valentine's Day Party DATE: February 14 LOCATION: BYX Row If you're in Fort Worth on Valentine's Day, you need to be at BYX Row for the first annual Valentine's Party. This party was conceived by Derek and Thad about a month ago, and word spread before the idea was even approved by us. We decided to go along with the idea, apparently Derek's much talked about girlfriend, Jessica Gibson, will be in town from Oregon. Sunday, we began preliminary party plans by cleaning the house, mopping floors, and touching up the wall paint. Other big news: guests from Austin! Lauren, Kristy, and Rob are allegedly driving up from UT to come to this party, so it better be good times.
BYX Retreat DATE: February 7 PLACE: the new rec center....ooohh! Original retreat plans were camping on the Brazos River in Mineral Wells. The weather forecast for Friday night was pretty grim all week. During the day on Friday, the high was 34, I believe, and the night low was going to be 16. Retreats are always fun, but with cold weather like that, I just couldn't envision 80 pampered college students freezing on a camping trip. President Mike Moore made an executive decision Friday afternoon to move the retreat to the new TCU rec center. A cell group basketball tournament began. My cell group teamed with Geoff's, and we were defeated in the first round by the Paul/Troy team, which eventually went on to win the whole tourney. Even with sore calves from playing basketball in tennis shoes, a new challenge was put forth. The current officer corps (Mike Moore, Eric Anton, Kelly Achilles, Russ Mensik, and Andrew Santi) were challenged by the "officer alums," members from past years. The alum team was Kyle Turner ('00), Brandt Reed, Jose Marroquin, Matt Ravanesi ('01), Jonathan Williams, David Durnil, and myself ('02). By playing 4 on 4, we lost 12-10 in a tight game. I should have expected it; we are the "old guys" although I was the youngest officer alum.
Happy Matt's Mom SOURCE: Jose DATE: February 8 Okay, remember back in December, when I traveled to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl? "Happy" Matt Turner's parents took a group of us to dinner on New Year's Eve. His parents were kind people, and I could see where Matt gets his nickname from. His dad's name is Jeff, and his mom's name is Cherry, or as I had heard, "Sherry." Jose has now made a point to let everyone know that Happy Matt's mom's name is pronounced Cherry, like the fruit, not Sherry, like the drink. And only a woman like Cherry Turner could pull off a name like that.
Dustin's Birthday SOURCE: Dustin DATE: February 2 Today is my roommate Dustin's 21st birthday. This officially makes me, I think, the last person in the world to turn 21. I hear there are sophomores turning 21 before I do. Anyway, on Friday, Dustin's mom made a surprise appearance in Fort Worth to take him out to dinner, along with his girlfriend. Saturday, he went to Dallas for dinner and his first alcoholic drink. Today, I think he's studying, which is a great way to celebrate turning 21. VIEWS: now that 2/3 of the Cockrell House is legal, our fridge is a little more mature than it used to be. Of course, there's still Pepsi, which I'll continue to drink until April. I turn 21 on a Monday, how fun. You think so? Well, Rob turns 21 on Easter.
Best New Place to be Seen in Fort Worth SOURCE: Matt Rav(anesi) DATE: February 1 On a beautiful afternoon, I trekked over to the Odessa House to check out their new addition: a poolhouse. It's actually a porch, built atop the fence next to their garage. From the poolhouse view, one can see the new rec center and Bellaire Drive below. If you haven't been over to Odessa to check out this hot new place, better get on over there. As you can see in the photo, the ladies can't leave Matt alone. A leather couch, hot shades, and Adventure magazine? This guy has got it going on.
Upcoming Party SOURCE: Thad & Derek DATE: party is February 14 I better come to terms with this now: I'm throwing a party on Valentine's Day. It's actually hosted by all of BYX Row, including myself, Dustin, Geoff, John, Tim, and Ashley. Sounds like fun, we've never throw a party at Cockrell, let alone a cooperative event with the boys next door. What's makes this party odd is, it wasn't our idea, nor was it advertised by us. Amateur webmasters Thad and Derek decided to advertise a party on their website. Only after getting a strong response did they bother to ask us. Fine, we said, what else would we be doing? So, if you're in Fort Worth on Valentine's Day, BYX Row is the place to be. Featuring a wide variety of single men, and plenty of TCU ladies as well. VIEWS: In a hypothetical situation, if I lived in Austin, and needed a fun place to be for a weekend, I'd come to Fort Worth and party there. Just thinking hypothetically, that's all.
Grocery Shopping SOURCE: Derek, and his grandparents DATE: January 27 The Cockrell House was short on groceries. Thanks to his grandparents, Derek has a membership at Costco. We couldn't resist the lure of a wholesale warehouse with bulk items. We came, we saw, we left with $100 worth of bulk food. Notable items include a gallon of pancake syrup, two 40 oz. jars of peanut butter, 4 Pringle cylinders, a whole chicken, and my favorite, a 4 lb. can of tuna. VIEWS: If you want a cheap, delicious dinner, go to Costco. After shopping, Derek introduced to us the best deal in fast food. At the "Costco Cafe" you can get a 1/4-lb Polish sausage on a bun plus a drink for only $1.50. Now THAT'S a deal. As you can see from the photo, that's one large can of tuna. The t-shirt I'm wearing didn't come with it, but that was actually a purchase on eBay. It's my official tuna-eating shirt.
Grand Opening of TCU Baseball Stadium SOURCE: TCU DATE: February 2 Today is Opening Day for the TCU baseball team at the brand new Lupton Stadium. It is quite an upgrade from their old field, which was about as high class as Hilltop 5. Now there are lights, so we can go to night games. Plus, it's 80 degrees today, perfect baseball weather. VIEWS: Now, I've been at college for two college baseball seasons now, and I've only been to one game. I mainly blame this on TCU's poor marketing strategy of their team. Now that the team's playing in a world-class facility, I expect better advertising.
Life & Times of Ianand what a life it is. My Stupid Life DATE: February 22 LOCATION: St. Paul Lutheran Church parking lot TIME OF DISCOVERY: 12:20pm Sunday morning, I took Dustin's Miata to church. I got there a few minutes shy of 11:00, making parking a bit of an issue. I circled the building, finally finding a spot near the exit. After the service, as I'm walking toward the car, I notice there is a dent and scrapes near the rear driver's side wheel and the bumper. I was about 60% certain that wasn't there when I left Cockrell, but can't be entirely sure. I check the windshield, expecting a nice, church-going person to leave a note for this minor accident. NOTHING. Great, this is just my stupid luck in my stupid life, that the one time I'm responsible for another man's car, I'm 200 yards away listening to a sermon on the omnipresence of God. I am an optimist; good will come of this situation. Stay posted.
The Miracle A DATE: Monday, February 10 SOURCE: Dr. Rhodes Remember my killer schedule? Well, it was made better by my plan to take Managerial Accounting pass/fail, which means it wouldn't be calculated in my GPA as long as I made a C or better. I waited to turn in the paperwork until I got the grade on my first exam. Class average hovered around a 79, not bad for accounting. There was a possible 102 points on the test, plus a 6 point bonus. I got in line to receive my exam, hoping for a B, so I could still slack off and make the C I needed. Well, I didn't make a B, I made a 108, the highest grade in the class. I didn't get a single problem wrong. VIEWS: I was astounded. After suffering through Financial Accounting with Dr. Nichols (horrible teacher), then making a B the second time around with Ms. Hensley (much better), I did not expect to do that well in this class. How wrong I was (let's hope). I just have to maintain that A...there's nowhere to go but down.
Sore... SOURCE: me DATE: February 7-8 Friday night...lots of basketball. I woke up with sore legs. Saturday night...game night at Colby. We played Geoff's favorite card game, "Tonk." Basically, it's gin rummy with some new rules thrown in. He learned it from someone who played it in juvy hall. So I call it "prison rummy." Whatever denomination of cards you have left in your hand, you do push-ups for that number. I didn't win much, but my totals started off easy, 7, 10, 16, 8, etc. After I had done about 70, I lost with 30 points in my hand. I ran through those 30 push-ups with amazing vitality, but I was tired. I did about 50 in spurts of 10-20 after the Big 30, but my arms and legs were like jelly. I've decided I wouldn't last in prison. VIEWS: Geoff first taught this game to me over the summer. I won the first three games I played, but Geoff did no push-ups. "Beginner's luck," he said. Whatever. I hold that over his head to this day.
Abundance of Print Media SOURCE: me DATE: February 2 Man, it's a slow news week for Ian's life. Here's something I've been pondering as our recycle bin fills up with newspapers. I read a lot of newspapers. When I moved off campus into a house, I got excited about subscribing to the Dallas Morning News and getting it on my porch every morning. Well, last fall, they didn't offer the student deal. I had to wait until January, and when the offer was there, I jumped on it. A daily paper until mid-May for only $14. That's 10 cents a day. Plus, the Morning News is a far more superior paper to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. On any given day, I read the Morning News, the Wall Street Journal, and the TCU Daily Skiff. If I'm in Moudy, I pick up USA Today. Moudy is the building that houses the School of Communication, so of course they need a liberal washrag like USA Today. If I'm in the mood, I also read the New York Times and/or the Financial Times, printed on its trademark salmon-colored paper. The Star-Telegram is also available (or as my old accounting prof called it, the "Startle-gram"), but I usually pass that one by. The Morning News is the only one I pay for. The Journal is part of my business-school tuition ($13 a semester, billed to Hans), but the rest are free of charge to me, paid for by TCU. Pick up a newspaper near you today...chances are, it's free.
FM Connection
if you went to Marcus High School, this section's for you. Read about Jeff Fuqua at the bottom of the page.
Rockies vs. Royals Exhibition Game SOURCE: Dan DATE: March 29 LOCATION: Dell Diamond, Round Rock, TX Dan clued me into the Rockies/Royals exhibition series at the end of March. I'm not sure why they're exhibiting in Austin, but don't ask questions. The Dell Diamond is the home stadium of the Round Rock Express minor league club, so it will be a very intimate setting for a MLB game. I can't wait to see all my favorite players like Chris Stynes and Mike DeFelice. Get ready...Ian returns to Austin for the third time in as many months.
Rob's News, February 17 SOURCE: Rob DATE: for the week ending February 15 "Andrew bought new black slacks for $17.99 at Ross."
"Dan and Rob are attempting to pitch in the major leagues as relief specialists. They will begin a training program that hopes to have them in shape by the time they are 30." VIEWS: Dan's specialty is the spitter, which is frowned on in Major League Baseball. He dabbles with a knuckleball in homage to Candiotti, Wilhelm, Hough, etc. Rob retired from baseball at about age 12.
"Rob and Tommy enter intramural bowling tournament with a fan club of Lauren, Andrew, and Norton. Rob bowls 163, 133, and Tommy 141, 163. Neither have sufficient pin totals to advance to final four." VIEWS: Rob is a consummate bowler, with his own eBay-purchased shoes and everything. Tommy, I haven't seen play, but if he's beating Rob in pin totals 50% of the time, he can ride.
Lauren...and Norton DATE: early last week SOURCE: Lund VIEWS from Rob Harvey: "Bizarre."
Knowledge Bowl SOURCE: Rob and Andrew DATE: February 8 The city of Victoria, Texas puts on a trivia competition every year called the "Knowledge Bowl." Rob & Andrew's ex-dormmates Tommy and Johnson are from Victoria, and they extended the offer to Rob, Andrew, and Dan to participate in 2002. Now, a year later, armed with experience and some trivia buffs, they returned. Team A (Captain Geech) finished 12th overall. This was a team of Andrew, Tommy, Johnson, and Spenser. Team B (Walking Encyclopedias) finished 13th, with Rob, Dan, Dan's boss, and Dan's boss' dad. This was an odd combination of players. Next year, I expect a top 5 finish. Read the standings at The Victoria Advocate newspaper online.
Trip to Austin SOURCE: me DATE: January 24-26 I went to Austin last weekend. Read the entire article here.
The Homefrontnews about Hans, Pam, Adrienne, or Evan FM Day Trip SOURCE: fam DATE: February 23 Evan officially became a Boy Scout today, bridging into my old troop, 62. I got news on the whole family's doings. Evan is going to Camp Classen for a week of camping. All the 5th graders in Lewisville ISD do this; Hans is going along as a chaperone. Funny stuff, since his idea of camping is a Holiday Inn with no continental breakfast. Adrienne is rehearsing for the Rosette Spring Show, and Pam is very excited about having the house nearly to herself next week. Other news...Adrienne got into Baylor, still hasn't visited the campus yet. She has "senior in", which means first period off. I did this my senior year, didn't start class until 10:30. After her spring show, she doesn't have to go to drill team "class", so she'll also have 4th period off, making her day of class start at 10:30 and end at 2:30, taking a 30 minute break for lunch. Something's fishy here...
Return Trip Home SOURCE: the family DATE: February 23 I'm going home next weekend for the first time since Christmas. Evan is bridging to Boy Scouts, and I figure I should be there, since Scouts was a big part of my life as a teenager and I hope it is for him too. In a way, I was guilted into this. Pam says, "we always did this sort of thing as a family for you, or Adrienne, but never for Evan. It would be very special for him." Fine, Mom, I'll come. It will be fun. Evan is bridging into Troop 62, the troop where I got Eagle Scout back in 1998.
Adrienne's College Search SOURCE: Adrienne DATE: January 26 Adrienne informed me that she got into Baylor this week. I don't know the status of the rest of her applications, but Baylor is a quality private school in Waco, Texas, home of...., yeah ok, it's a good school. I almost applied to Baylor, but for my application, I was required to hand-write an essay. No computers could be used. That was a little freaky-Baptist-weird, so I didn't apply. But congrats to Adrienne, I know she'll make the right decision.
Jeff Fuqua SOURCE: Nick Crivello DATE: February 10, 2003 My main purpose in writing the Rumor Mill is to entertain, then inform. I want to take a few minutes to be solemn in respect for Jeff Fuqua. I met Jeff a long time ago, in 7th grade when I moved to Texas. I had many classes with him through the years due to our common genius. In 1995 and 1996 we played on the Lightning, a baseball team coached by Hans. During our junior year, Jeff went to Germany to study abroad. This was a humorous notion, since his goal was to go to Belgium (he had 3+ years of French, and no experience with German). When Belgium fell through, he still went abroad, but in a way, went in blind with only a working knowledge of German from Jeff Lewis. He attended UT, and when I heard news that he died this week, it was certainly startling. I hadn't ever experienced a friend's death like this. Jeff was a hilarious guy, whether it be "zaboo" or mocking Jeff Lewis or wearing a t-shirt to school that read "I LOVE JEFF LOUWAS" (the shirt was later tie-dyed in Spencer's chemistry class). He will be dearly missed. Keep his family in your prayers, as well as his close friends Nick Crivello and Eric Swanholm. Read his obituary in the Dallas Morning News here.
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