TCU News

Matt Looloian's Birthday
DATE: September 22
This was my fourth or fifth "birthday dinner" this year, and it's only September. I foresee many more...anyway, Matt's birthday dinner was at Chili's. He's a young'n, only turning 19 this year, but that just made for a lot of good jokes. He got a gift certificate for Bed, Bath, & Beyond, as a joke, since that was where he was employed this summer. (What a summer...I think they're holding a position for him at the corporate office upon graduation: VP of Bedsheets).

VIEWS: The birthday party was a high point in an otherwise unspectacular week for Matt Loo. His Philadelphia Eagles lost last Sunday and the Phillies were eliminated from playoff contention. There's always next year...

In the picture...Amanda, Kalli, Cici and Becky leaned in for a kiss as I snapped the photo.

Saturday Night
DATE: September 27
TCU played Arizona on Saturday night. Happy Matt Turner ordered the game on pay-per-view (for Amanda: paperview) and we watched it on his television (for Amanda: telivision). Mike Dietz, Nick Breaux, and I decided to get there nice and early, because we were going to watch a football game, not impress people with our "fashionably late" status. Well, as predicted, the place was crowded and it kind of turned into a social event. At the end of the first half, Mike, Nick, Jose, and I went to On the Border for food. Nick got to watch his LSU Tigers finish off Mississippi State and we made it back for the third quarter. TCU won in OT.

And on the other side of campus...

Geoff, Meredith B, Meredith A (seated), and Kelly with Amanda and Erin in the front with their backs to the camera

Instead of joining the men at Matt's apartment, Geoff, Matt Loo, Matt Miller, and Kelly went to Waits Hall (where the girls live) and did ARTS AND CRAFTS?!?! What? Is this the Geoff I used to know, who would watch football on Saturdays from 10am to 6pm and THEN get dressed?? No! Is this the Matt Loo I know who worships the Eagles, Phillies, and Royals?? No! Is this the Matt Miller I know who runs his own Mavs website?? No! Is this the Kelly Achilles I know?? Well, yes.

The Kelly we all know and love...	and Matt Miller, who "helped later"

Props to Matt Turner for ordering the game and letting us overrun his apartment. No props for the she-men who went to Waits.

HANSON: Old News I Forgot to Write About
DATE: September 15
Becky and Amanda went to see Hanson in Dallas a few weeks ago. They were very excited about this acoustic set the brother pop group was playing. They did stuff from their new album and of course, an acoustic version of "Mmmbop". Becky and Amanda bought shirts and haven't stopped singing since. They even coerced Scott to play the song at the BYX party that week.

RUMOR: Does Billy Have a Girlfriend or Not?
DATE: September 27
I think Billy is back together with his "older girlfriend" Lindsey. In college, where the younger girl is always the bigger catch, props to Billy for reeling in an older woman. But are they back together?? Sparks flew at Happy Matt's apartment...they were sharing a chair, cuddling, etc, but if you asked him about it, he might just say he was sacrificing for the good of the crowded room. And Case and Amanda made out last night, according to an "unnamed source..."

Hmmm....

Heath White's Injury
DATE: September 24
Heath plays intramural football for the BYX team. In their game Wednesday night, Heath was running after an opposing player to grab their flag. He dives at the guy, grabbing the flag, and breaking his nose in the process. Several stitches resulted, but BYX still won the game. Heath's a fighter, and we should see him back in action very soon.

Mystery Roses
DATE: September 27
Someone left yellow roses on the porch of Little Cockrell on Saturday. Tim, John, and Ashley have no leads. If you have information pertaining to this gift, please tell them.

I Visit Brenham, Texas (Sort Of)
DATE: September 20
This weekend was TCU Family Weekend, and rather than invite just their families, Meredith and Sunni brought their ENTIRE hometown! Okay, that's an overstatement, but there was about 25 people representing the town of Brenham, and they threw their own tailgate party. Meredith dragged me over to the party and I had some delicious Brenham food (apparently the town was founded by Germans). They were all very nice people, and I think Eric and I will visit at some point. After all, it is the hometown of Tori, Johanna, and Chynna.

The Gaulkes Bring Jose Gifts
DATE: September 20
Jose is in pretty good with Erin's parents. The Gaulkes live in Katy and are big time Astros fans, much like Jose is. While they vacationed in sunny San Diego, they kindly brought souvenirs back for Jose. He received a game-worn Padres jersey and a Padres hat from them. How nice of them. Jose was giddy with excitement and decided to wear the jersey for the remainder of the football game. I got to talk to Mr. Gaulke at length; after all, it had been two years since we met at a Monday@TCU. Mrs. Gaulke was also a delight, and I told them that I am pulling hard for the Astros to win the Central. After all, I predicted an NL pennant in Houston.

Jen Turns 21
DATE: September 12
LOCATION: her house, Rio Mambo, and Pete's Dueling Pianos
Jen is finally 21. It seems like only yesterday she was an outgoing, obnoxious girl with a loud laugh and a penchant for calling people by their full name. Well, that was yesterday. Friday night, a good 30 people went to Rio Mambo (motto: we serve only unspectacular Mexican food) for dinner. This was the "everyone's invited" part of the evening. I sat at the far end of the table with Russ, Heath, Mike Moore, and John Anderson and we talked about BYX stuff and who had dated the most girls in the room. Nathan Winston won, of course.

After Rio Mambo, the "adults", or those at least 21, went to Pete's Dueling Pianos, a bar in Addison. Attending were Jen (of course), the Katies (Allerman and Boggs), Alison, Amber (formerly known as Other Amber, now called Hot Amber at her request), Jose, Blake, Eric, Haverly, and myself. A good time was had by all, I ran up a hell of a bar tab, but then I was the nice guy who bought the girls (and Jose) drinks. Jen was a good girl and drank what was given to her, and she made good friends with the bathroom attendant. Once she wasn't allowed back into the bar, we decided it was time to go.

David Durnil Meets Dave Matthews
DATE: September 13

David and his brother Jamie are fans of the Dave Matthews Band. Jamie is in the fan club, and this weekend, the two brothers got to meet Dave in person. I don't have too many details yet, but they're coming. Perhaps you remember David's old license plate, now personalized with a very special autograph:

Mingo Fishtrap concert
DATE: September 11
All week, I was very excited about seeing Mingo Fishtrap. This was the 6th time I had seen them in concert. A week prior, Cici comes to me and tells me she's interested in seeing the show. This was news to me, I didn't think people at TCU liked live music. Well, Cici works on getting her whole group to the show. It was Ladies' Night at the Aardvark, so they would all get in free anyway. Well, instead, they chose to go to boring old Billy Bob's, the same old Thursday night activity. Don't get me wrong, I like going, but often, there are better options. Well, instead of the girls, I got Tim and Ben Crenshaw to come along. Tim is a guitar player who likes live music and Ben is a Tower of Power fan, so I knew he'd like Mingo. Turns out, it was the best show I'd ever seen them play. Two hours' worth of music and an encore. They covered "What Is Hip" and "Got to Groove" by Tower, opened with "People Person", and closed with "Bitta Honey." Tim was impressed with Roger's lead vocals, and of course, the showmanship the horn section has. You've got to check this band out!!

Jane was about to come with us to the concert, but she didn't want to be the only girl. That's understandable, and plus, she's from Austin, so she is willing to try out new bands. If you remember, she came to the concert at Frog Fountain last April. Becky did too, but she's also from Austin. The rest of the girls have no excuse.

Friday Night Activities
DATE: September 5
I figured out something else I do sort-of well. After convincing myself I'm the world's worst cook, I surprised myself by fixing some chicken that got rave reviews from the dinner guests (Jen, Allison, David). I marinated, grilled, served and did it all. The rice was less than worthy however, and I attribute that to being left too long on the stove. It's tough to grill chicken on the porch and cook rice in the kitchen.

After the dinner, we joined AJ, Beth, and Heath for a trip to Sheridan's Frozen Custard. I first heard about Sheridan's from Paul. His dad owns a franchise in Kansas City, and he says it's the best frozen dessert you'll ever have. He was right, for sure. And Jen entertained us all by flirting with the 16 year old boy behind the counter. I think he was both flattered and scared that a 21 year old girl was so forward. He nervously got Jen the free Diet Coke she asked for, though, at the risk of being fired. Quite entertaining.

New School Year!
DATE:  August 27

My final year of college started with a bang for sure. BYX Rush is in full effect, Supply Chain Management class was a regular E-Business reunion, and it's the second day and I'm already slacking on homework. Well, that's the way it goes, folks. A lot of things are in the mixer this fall, and I'm going to do everything just to be sure I don't slouch on my senior year.

Supply Chain Management
DATE: August 28
The only e-business class I have this semester started off with a bang. There are 36 e-business seniors, but there are also about 7-8 "other" business majors. I think they felt out of place and annoyed with the rest of us. Nathan was his normal obnoxious self, Jarrod wasted no time before asking questions, and Jack was Jack. We have to do a supply chain project, and the Fab 4 of Ian, Nathan, Brandt, and Eric (the e-BYX guys) joined up and are going to research Eric's dad's Halloween costume company. Business trip to San Diego?? It's a possibility.
E-Business Missing In Action: Kate, Sanjeev, George

UPDATE! Kate and George showed up on Day 2, but Sanjeev is still nowhere to be found. Tuesday, we played the "Beer Game" (it's a game about managing a supply chain). As a tribute to him, our brewery was named "Sanjeev's Legitimate Business Front", or just "Sanjeev Imports".

Life & Times of Ian

Back to Work at the Reata
DATE: September 25
It's been a month since I last worked at the Reata. I went into work for a total of 90 minutes. There was a huge retirement party that needed extra valet assistance. I parked about 10 cars, including Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief's Benz, and was home by 8:00. The good news is that next week, I'm actually on the schedule on Wednesday.

E-Business Association?
DATE: September 18
Fellow e-bus major Craig sent a mass email stating that he's reviving the E-Business Association with a bowling party at Main Event next week. Sounds like a plan to me. So if you're e-business and you read this, show up. I've never NOT had a good time with these guys (as long as we're not in a classroom). I guess the E-Bus Association has been in existence for awhile, we've just met at the Pub or Scooners instead. Now, there's actual structure. I can deal with that.

The Big Question
DATE: every day, it seems

• everybody: "Hey Ian, when do you graduate?"
• me: "Next May."
• everybody: "Oh wow. What are you going to do after that?"
• me: "Umm...."

That's the big question I face. What am I going to do after I graduate? Well, let's review some options. First of all, I really want to work at Worth Ranch one more year, possibly as the aquatics director. That's slated for June-July of next summer. At some point, I'm going to get my MBA. Most programs don't accept applicants without a couple years' worth of work experience. I am looking at USC, UCLA, and UT. Most likely, I'll get a full time job after graduation, hopefully somewhere that isn't Dallas or Fort Worth.

Eh, Another Speeding Ticket
DATE:  August 11
I was at home for a few days following a trip to California. On my way back from Skinner's new apartment in Denton, I was stopped on 407 for speeding, right in front of Crossroads Bible Church. The infraction: 67 mph in a 55 zone. Rob, who calls me "the legend of traffic violations", asked for my advice on his own speeding ticket. Let's review Ian's driving record:

My driving career isn't the prettiest, but the important thing is that it's clean. None of these tickets remain on
my record. I went 3 years until just before my 19th birthday when I got my first speeding ticket. Also, none of these infractions are for truly unsafe speeds. The Runaway Bay and Memphis tickets were both speed traps in small towns, and the running of the (mostly) yellow light was a result of a bad mood I was in. Eh, whatever. I know guys with much worse records than me (hello Tim Savage?)

FM Connection

More Marcus Marauder Sightings
DATE: September 25
On Thursday, Andrew was on Sixth Street at the Ivory Cat Tavern. He hears a female voice gasping in wonder that she has spotted Andrew Lund. That voice belonged to Brooke Axelson, longtime choirgirl at Marcus. In fact, I think the 6th grade choir class where I met Andrew also included Brooke. She and Andrew catch up for a few minutes, and she brings him outside, where another MHS choirgirl, Casey Riney is waiting, with her boyfriend Doug Axelson, who is also Brooke's fraternal twin. Andrew told me the whole story, and after 6 full years of middle school and high school, I never knew Doug and Brooke were related. They had the same last name of course, but I just assumed that was a coincidence. Well, you learn something everyday.

Marcus Marauder QB Starting at Marshall??
DATE: September 20
On Saturday, I was watching highlights of the Kansas State/Marshall game. The announcer says, "backup quarterback Graham Gochneaur plays a great game" and that name rung a bell. Graham was the starting QB in 1999, in the fall of my senior year. I think we had a Spanish class together. I explain to Geoff, who says "that's pretty cool." Then I remember the story about how he quit the team the week of the Marcus/Lewisville game (the Battle of the Axe), and how everyone kinda hated him for that. I don't think I went to any football games my senior year anyway.

Overnight Trip to Austin

DATE: September 13-14

I flew to Austin Saturday morning. First of all, I needed a camera. Geoff had offered to let me borrow his, but I had forgotten to pick it up this week. I went to his apartment at 8am Saturday morning and got it. He wasn't too happy that I woke him so early, but I later found out it was just typical morning irritation. On to Austin...

UT lost the game (which I wasn't at, but most people were), and we did random stuff during the day, but I finally got to meet some Austin legends. First, Jason, the dude who plays fantasy baseball in the Real League that Rob always refers to. He's a good guy. Also Julie, who has a "fascination" with Rob. She will be featured as a Girl of the Week in the near future. Then Liz, another friend who, upon meeting me, said "I've heard a lot about you". I, of course, said the same thing to her. Others who came were Andrew, Rob, Kristy, Lauren, Tommy, Johnson, and Shane.

It's not Austin if Rob doesn't piledrive Lauren onto the floor.

Austin has this convenient "E Bus" to get to Sixth Street late at night, which we took. Andrew and I stopped at Ivory Cats, the bar he used to work at, and then we met the rest at another bar, the Chugging Monkey. This didn't meet everyone's approval, being too crowded and having no drink specials. At Shakespeare's, the next stop, $2 domestic bottles apparently doesn't include Sam Adams, much to the chagrin of Lauren. She refused them when the bartender wanted to charge me $8 for the two. Lauren is gutsy. The last bar we went to was the Library, in Rob's quest for $2 Long Island iced teas. The special was $2.50, but that was good enough for Rob.

After that, we headed home. Much respect to Lauren, Kristy, Andrew, and Rob for taking care of Ian. The night didn't turn out as originally planned, but I'm sure there will be other Austin trips to make up for it. Also, props to Rob who apparently stuck around to see that I was okay. Rob's nature doesn't normally include caring for others, but I guess he had a change of heart. The weekend had several choice quotes, too:

• Andrew to Ian: "You look very...what's the word...Urban Outfitters."
• Kristy: "Ian, what's the factor of 2x squared?" Ian: "40." Rob: "Leave him alone, he's a mathematical genius."
• Andrew: "Rob and I are taking a tutoring class where we volunteer at local schools. Rob said he plans to finally achieve his goal to 'TEACH THE CLASS.'"

I flew home at 11:30 Sunday morning. Next Austin trip has not been scheduled yet, since this one was set up about 4 days in advance. But the crew will be coming to Dallas for Texas-OU weekend in October.

Rob's Speeding (?) Ticket
DATE:  approximately August 25, i think
Rob has refused to tell me the story via IM because it won't do it justice. He got the ticket going back to Austin from Flower Mound in the small town of Northlake (around the Speedway). Apparently it's a pretty good story, maybe he'll share soon.

Andrew's Summer with Kids
DATE:  August 25
Andrew spent this summer on Cape Cod working for a YMCA camp. He returns to inform me that he is a "natural" with children. I had some idea this was going to be the case. When we were in 8th grade, as members of National Junior Honor Society, we helped lead Old Settlers Elementary field day. Andrew did some game called "Don't Break the Ice" and I did the "Kangaroo Relay." The kids had a blast, for sure.

The Homefront

SWT Family Weekend
DATE: September 26-27
This past weekend, Hans, Pam, and Evan went to San Marcos for SWT Family Weekend. The three flew to AUS I think, then rented a car and drove 30 minutes to the campus. There weren't any activities planned, said Adrienne, so they just toured the city and university. Evan spent the night in Adrienne's dorm room, much like what he did two years ago in Club 341 of Clark Hall. He was up pretty late, Adrienne reports. When Evan stayed with Geoff and I, it was back in the Dreamcast days, so we spent a lot of time playing Dreamcast baseball.

Family Weekends at College
DATES: September 19-20 (TCU) and September 26-27 (SWT)
This past weekend was Family Weekend at TCU. Due to scheduling problems, my family has only been to one Family Weekend, and that was in 2001. And Adrienne didn't even make it to that one, but I did orchestrate the BYX Barbecue that year. Next weekend is Family Weekend at SWT, so Hans, Pam, and Evan are flying down to see Adrienne. They wanted to know if I would come, but unfortunately I have other obligations. And if I flew all the way, I don't know if I'd want to keep going to San Marcos. I think I'd just stay in Austin. So it's a good thing I'm not coming. But the rest of the Voorns will have a blast in the "Hill Country." Hans and Pam think that's quite funny, calling slight rises in the land "Hill Country." They look like hills to me, but nothing like the California foothills north of L.A.

Jet-Set Family
DATE: September 12-14
The Voorns sure like to fly. This weekend alone, Hans flew to Los Angeles to see his sisters. Adrienne flew home from college to see Pam and Evan. I flew to Austin to see friends. Next weekend, Pam flies to Reno to see her mother and sister. This is the jet-set life I lead...don't forget to read the new article on it.

THE VOORN PROJECT, ltd.