R.U. Fest, my upcoming return to D-town, Ruiz vs. Toney, and more!

Last night was an awesome time for yours truly. I drove up to Howell to spend the evening with Jaime, as I usually do once or twice a week. We met Caroline, Charlie, Gena, and Laura at Chevys for $1 Margarita Night. The margaritas were magnificent. Very tasty. Jaime and I shared a $5 pitcher of Frozen Margarita and then I bought an individual $1 glass of Margarita on the rocks at the end of the night. Good times. Thank God there is a Chevys on Route 10 in North Jersey. I will definitely have to hit that up at various times throughout the summer. Jaime and I will also have to team up with Gena and Ken for some good times at the Laughing Lion as well, whenever Gena and Jaime are in town.

*Note* Ken and I are both North Jersey residents, with Ken residing in Randolph and The Great One, yours truly, living in D-town AKA Dova' Rico.

Today is a pretty nice day. It is a little breezy outside, but the sun is out and this is still a gorgeous day to be outdoors. So it turns out that I did not get an A in Money and the American Imagination. I did not even get an A-. The Great One's final grade in that class was a B+, which I felt was the worst case scenario. Not only did I get a B+, but it was an 89!!!! C'mon G.T.! Give me one more point, for being good looking if anything , so I can get an A-!

There goes my 4.0. Oh well, life goes on. What else can I say? Perhaps my work ethic was not solid enough to bring me to an A in that class. Earlier in the semester, I stated that my work ethic in school might be lacking a bit in terms of achieving excellence in all of my courses. I would say I put in a B+ effort for that class rather than an A effort. I previously announced that I would get an A in Money and the American Imagination because the professor said she was giving the people who showed up to class (a week ago this past Tuesday) six bonus points. I perceived that to be six points added on to my final grade; that was not the case. She gave anybody who showed up that day six of the 12 possible points for The Great Gatsby quiz we took one week ago today. Therefore, the bonus was much less significant to my final grade than I originally anticipated. Brilliance and outstanding essay writting can only get a brainiac such as myself so far. I definitely should have done more of the reading assignments, but it is all over now. I do not feel I lost anything out of this, as I look foward to graduating and excelling with my summer internship. It is the present and future that I must concern myself with. Both of those have some promising things in store for The Great One. Oh, yes they do!

I plan on taking my GMATs early in 2006, possibly as early as January. I will do extremely well on that test. It has been on my mind for a few years now.

I still have two more courses to complete. Those are Hospitality Control and Facilities Management. I will be submitting my portfolio for Hospitality Control on Tuesday, May 3. I will also be taking my final exam for Facilities Management on Wednesday, May 4. I will make the necessary preparations for that exam and I definitely look to be successful with it.

Other blurbs:

• Tonight marks yet another chicken bar at N-Wing. Dinner tonight at 6pm for those who would like to join me. Final chicken bar of the year. Final chicken bar ever at Stockton for The Great One. Those who would like to join me are more than welcome to. I know Anna and Ray are definitely coming along.

• The Great One will be attending Rutgersfest this Friday, but I will be getting there a bit late. Nas, as well as the Drop Kick Murpheys (the band that performed at Stockton earlier this semester) will be performing at R.U. Fest this year. I could be hitting up James' crip with Jaime, April, and the rest of their gang. However you look at it, The Great One is once again returning to New Bruni...

• The Great One will also be returning to D-town, my old stompin' grounds, late in the afternoon on Saturday. I will be there until late Sunday night/early Monday morning. At that point, I will be returning to Stockton to finish the semester.

• For the first time in eight months, I will have the privledge of watching a fight this weekend! Yes, that's right. I have been limited to the cheap, low budget ESPN matches here at school, but I will be at home to watch this weekend's edition of HBO World Championship Boxing. WBA Heavyweight Champion John "The Quiet Man" Ruiz will be defending his title against James "Lights Out" Toney at Madison Square Garden in New York. The weigh-in for the fight was held today at Madison Square Garden. Ruiz weighed in at 241lbs, whereas Toney tipped the scale at 233lbs. Usually, I try not to get overly excited over an upcoming fight with John Ruiz. Afterall, he does spend more time trying to hug his opponents rather than beat them up in the ring. However, as long as James Toney is prepared for a tough fight, I doubt he is going to put up with the herky-jerky style that Ruiz fights with. The Great One predicts that a conditioned Toney will knock Ruiz out in the 10th round on a bodyshot (Ruiz does not take bodyshots well and James is a great inside fighter), but if Toney is not in sufficient fighting shape, Ruiz will find some bizzare way (probably hugging, clinches, and a couple punches in between) to defeat Toney (most likely on points). When it comes down to it, This fight is probably going to get dirty due to their styles. I look for this to be a wild and entertaining affair between two top heavyweight contenders, who have a genuine dislike for one another.

That is all for now. I know that was a long post, but that is not a bad thing when you consider who is posting and the material that I post.

Take care and be safe. 1 love.

Peace.

Thursday, April 28, 2005 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Loving memories from my years at Stockton!

I am currently in the computer lab and I have completed two pages of my Gatsby essay for Money and the American Imagination.

In writing the essay for The Great Gatsby, we are given various choices in regards to the topic that we want to compare with the story. Such topics include Gatsby and conspicuous consumption, Gatsby, money, and the American Dream, Money and success in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby as the self-made man, and a few others. The Great One has chosen conspicuous consumption, only because it is so obvious with Gatsby. Everything, from his garden to the parties he throws and the automobiles that he drives, illustrates his subjection to conspicuous consumption (according to Thorstein Weblen, purchasing goods that are far superior to what one needs for sustenance).

Enough of that for now...

Approaching the end of a long and adventurous journey

I can not believe that this is the final week of class for the semester and the school year. Furthermore, I am shocked that this is the final week of my final year of college! As I stated in the previous post, this whole situation is a combination of sadness, shock, and excitement. There are plenty of things that I will miss about this college. Many of the memories I have of my years here will live on in my memory and my heart, probably for the rest of my life.

This institution is where I met my significant other, the first real love of my life. This institution is where I broke out into the society on my own, arriving at a college in a different location with nothing more than my most valued possessions. The Great One, establishing himself in a new environment at a different school amongst a diversified community, did not need to hold the hands of seven or eight high school classmates in order to fit in.This s is where my confidence (which was never truly lacking ) skyrocketed to an all-time high and enabled me to accomplish tasks and reach goals that I was previously unsure of attaining.It is a strong belief of mine that this school is what greatly contributed to making me who I am today, as opposed to who I was three years ago. Today, I see myself as more of a leader. I view myself as somebody who can adapt to society more than I was capable of doing before I moved away from home.

Here are some terrific memories that The Great One will always cherish about being a college student at Stockton:

• Going to Nwing with friends for some intelligent (some enjoyable) conversation with my peoples.
• Walking over to the apartments with the L-Dorm crew to drink on Thursday nights in 2002-03.
• Anthony Chodan, his snakes, and how he used Aaron as their bait.
• Meeting Jaime at F23 on Halloween night 2002, only to begin going out with her on December 18, 2002. My gosh, has it been that long???
• Dr. Worthington, his Intro/Management, Business Policy and Strategy, and Human Resources Management courses, and the fact that I aced all of them EASILY. Dr. Worthington = greatest professor EVER! Quite fitting that the World's Greatest Professor would be teaching The Great One at some point or another. It was a right of passage; one that amused me.
• Late night trips to Wawa for coffee and snacks. I did this every single year I went to Stockton. Having social gatherings in the lounges in L-Dorm. Wawa hoagies are off the hook!!
• Drunken Volleyball at the court by TRLC (including Drunken Volleyball opera).
• Meeting and hanging out with all of the various people I encountered in my three years here at Stockton: Jaime, Anna, Ray, Jack, Evan, Nicole, Chuck, Aaron, Anthony, Shiek, Colleen, Kristen, Jeremy.S, Mike, Keeley, Jeremy.M, Sean, Brian A, Junior, Debra, Andrew, Rich, and many many many others who I failed to mention in this bulleted piece.
• Shiek's generosity with alcohol (I remember him giving out those 24oz bottles of Yuengling Lager at D 15 year spring semester). God bless him!
• My single in N-Dorm. Ohhhhhh, how I realized it's value when I no longer had it!!!!!!!! That single was such an asset. I still miss N206 to this very day.
• Going to mass on Sunday nights (sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't) and listening to Father Jeff. I always felt at peace when I left.
• Taking walks around the campus when the weather is nice (sometimes during the day; other times at night). Admiring the pine barrens and the nature surrounding the campus.
• Community Liquors and all the good times I was able to have (mostly on Thursday nights) because of that amazing liquor store. Every town in every state should have a community liquor for poor college students.
• Jaime, Shiek and I sobering Aaron up with chocolates.
• My drunken trip to the Chinese Restaurant on White Horse and to Home Depot with Erin and Ray. Who else slaps five with a card board cut out?????
• Taking random trips to Target with Anna, Ray, and the rest of the gang(sometimes for Cherry Coke ).
• Eating lunch at G-Wing and dinner at N-Wing with the regulars (Ray, Anna, Jeremy, Jack, etc).
• Working at M.A.H.G. on the upper floor of the library (with Kathy, Marcie, and Dr. Lithell) my first year here and having Jaime join me in the library to study so she could be with me (even before we were going out).
• Trips to Ocean City when the weather got warmer. Going with Ray, Kristen, Erin, Anna, Nicole, and Jaime spring semester 2004. Bacardi Crunch! Anna shaving my head later that day.
• Firmly believing, after a long night of drinking in F Court on my 22nd birthday, that I was Superman and jumping out of a moving car in the parking lot believing that I could fly. I never hit the blacktop so hard in my life. Crazy times!
• Fight Night 2004 with Chuck every Tuesday and Thursday at my apartment last semester. Then he had to go ahead and graduate on me!
• Fratority REPREZENT. Fratority dinners at N-wing. Rabies on a stick!
• Walking back to my apartment or dorm drunk to the fullest extent. Running into random people at random times in random locations. Wasted and meeting Dan Chapman in the computer lab after Evan's Jungle Juice party just a few weeks ago.
• The Irish Pub in Atlantic City.
• Standing outside of the L-Dorm Residential Hall and drinking with 15-20 of my fellow L-Dorm residents. Those were the good times, before the on campus police came out of the closet.
• Going out for random drives around the South Jersey area (Smithville, Galloway, Absecon, Atlantic City, P-town, etc).
• Historic Smithville, with all of the old shops.
• All the times I spent with Jaime, from watching movies, to spending every day at the library with her, to being with her every night and do homework with her.
  

There are many more memories of my times here at Stockton, but they will be posted as my final days come to pass. This school will be sorely missed and I am not exactly sure at this moment what will come of me immediately following my departure from here.

At this time, all I know is that I am heading to Wawa with Brian. He is currently tapping me on the shoulder with an empty Pepsi bottle.

Take care and be safe.

Peace.

Monday, April 25, 2005 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Three more weeks of school!

Millionaire at 36 years old? Hey, it is worth a try Ray.

"I simply get off at Exit 82 on the Parkway, and then I take ... shit."

now there is a prime candidate for the job of Mapquest directions coordinator if I ever saw one.


A few days have gone by since my last update, so here we go ladies and gentlemen. Braces yourselves. On Sunday, while driving with to mass with Jhon, I discovered that my car was making a loud thumping sound.

Bad sign.

As I drove back to the parking lot by TRLC and looked at my right front tire, I realized that it was completely flat! Not only that, but when I removed the tire to put the donut on, I immediately discovered that the rim had been dented and severely torn! Terrific! Now I have to buy a new rim as well as a new tire. When I called Bennett Chevrolet in Egg Harbor Township to get a price check on a rim for my car, they quoted a price of $718! All for one rim!!! Heaven forbid there was something wrong with all of my tires and rims. Shortly after that, I called Gearhart Chevyrolet in Denville and they quoted a price not too much cheaper than Bennett's price. Gearhart was ready to order me the rim for $608.

The Great One was not going to settle for either price. My mother helped me out by calling many of the local junkyards and asking if they had any rims available. Fortunately, the one junkyard she called (I think it's Ackers in Hackettstown), had an aluminum rim for $125 that matched my car perfectly and a steel rim for $35 which did not match my car. I chose the aluminum rim for $125 for the reason that I want my car to look stylish. Hey, I am able to afford it so why not? Uncle J is picking up the rim for me today and he is bringing it down to me on Thursday. At that point, all I have to do is purchase a tire (most likely at Pep boys) and then my car will once again be back to normal. That is all taken care of now, but it is amazing how certain things in life can be a such a major inconvenience.

At this point, my main concern is my group presentation based on the construction of P.F Chang's for Facilities Management. My group is scheduled to present to the class at P.F. Changs this Monday! We have to get it done soon. My group and I are going to meet in the library tomorrow after class so we can put most of the presentation and research paper together. That is really the only thing I am worried about for the remainder of the semester in all of my classes. I also have a project with Inn Basket due in Hospitality Control the last week of the semester, but I am not really worried about that. We are not scheduled to start that project until April 26, so I'm alright for now in regards to Hospitality Control.

Tonight I had dinner with Ray, Jack, Keeley and Jhon. Jhon got there a bit late, so he was sitting at the table next to us. We began to discuss life after college and where we see ourselves in the job world once we are out of school. Ray, who will be getting a bachelors degree in Business Studies Accounting, claimed that his goal is to be a millionaire at 36 years of age. Not a bad goal and not totally unrealistic. I suppose it is worth a try to attempt such a noble landmark.

Sometimes I wish I could just live here for one more semester, come back, and live my life the way it has been for the past three years - minus the classes. Wouldn't that be hot? Life passes us by so quickly. We must stop and take a look at who and what surrounds us. I believe it was the infamous Ferris Bueller who once said, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". While that was merely a fictional character from the classic 1986 motion picture Ferris Bueller's Day Off, that quote could not be any closer to the truth in real life than it already is. How shall I look around and acknowledge life? You know that The Great One must return to the location that elevated me to completely different heights I had never before reached. Upon my graduation from Stockon, one can rest assured that I will be back in Pineys for visits and parties come Fall 2005! Stockton has been an eye opener for yours truly in terms of my perception of life. Status-wise, confidence-wise, knowledge-wise, skill-wise, and wise-wise (wise-wise , yes I am wiser for the wear), I am greater than I have ever been before. I am, and will always be, The Great One. That title will never escape me folks. One can never disregard the facts.

It is important that I continue to demonstrate my greatness by doing research for this presentation. Everyone have a good night, take care, and be safe. Stay tuned for more... you do not want to miss a beat!

Peace.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Facilities Management exam officially a success!

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

This post is rather lengthy, so... grab a snack, sit back, relax, and pay attention. Professor Scales returned our Facilities Management exams to us in class today. Low and behold, The Great One scored a 92%!!!! How great of a result is that??? After stating on 1,001 occasions how successful I was going to be, and confidently announcing it on here, such a result is nothing short of glorious! I do not f%&k around.

There is no mystery to the fact that I said I was going to do a really good job and the significance of a successful outcome. So glorious! A marvelous and magnificent outcome that serves as a right of passage for someone as intelligent and wise as myself! I am no joke people. I talked the talk and I walked the walk. Screw you multiple choice... The Great One has your number! This exam will make up for my poor performance on the first exam, for which I barely studied or gave any effort at all due to my severe illness. This time I was not confined to a bed coughing up a lung throughout the three week period leading up to the exam. This exam was a completely different story. That is truly the best I have ever done on a Donna Albano exam. Her exams are not the easiest exams either, but I came through in the clutch as I knew I would, hit a homerun, and aced this one like it was my job! I accept the honour and give God the glory.

God had this planned for me the entire time, which is why I predicted this exam would be a success so far in advance. Not only did I know it would happen, I knew it needed to happen. God knew the score in advance, which is why it was delivered to me in a dream last week. Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I drempt I got a 92 - I think it was either a 91 or a 92 - one night in my sleep last week. There is no doubt in my mind that the man upstairs had the plan; all I had to do was carry on with the action to solidify that plan. This is a lesson for all of you to learn if you have not yet learned it. There is a God.

When God is with you, nobody can be against you. God will not always give you what you want. God will give you what you need. As long as God gives me what I need, I will make anything happen that needs to happen. Of course it also helps to be intelligent and make use of that muscle called the brain that is in my head. Know that NOTHING can alter my destiny when I am traveling down the highway of fortitude to make it happen. The test result has been so uplifting for me today; the fact that it's raining has totally gone over my head. Great result! ULTRA MEGA SUPER GLORIOUS! This is all a good sign. Thank you God. Expect plenty more where that came from.

Yeah... so in case you have never met me, I am THE GREAT ONE.

Last night was a really good time at Evan's Jungle Juice Party. I hardly knew any of the people, as some of regulars who are usually present - Ray, Anna, Kristen, Kevin, Chuck - were not there last night. However, Aaron managed to come to the party and have a pretty good time. Erin, Nicole, and Dave Flanders (my beer-brewing buddy) were also in attendance. The apartment had a festive look to it, as they decorated and made it look like a jungle with vines and bananas hanging from the ceiling. I got obliterated off of Jungle Juice, Hennessey, and bottles of Killian's Irish Red and Yuengling. Good times. Another great news item is that Jaime is coming down to visit me tonight. She will be here around 8:30 and she is staying until tomorrow when I have to go to work. We will probably get something to eat, rent a movie, and... you can come to your own conclusions on the rest. Deduce what you want.

I'm still heading to Nwing in a little bit to grab something small to eat with Ray and whoever would like to join us. For the most part, I am attending to be sociable with the crowd at hand.
That pretty much covers it all. Everyone have a great evening, enjoy your Friday night, and live it up like there is no tomorrow.

1 love.

Peace.

Friday, April 08, 2005 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

On call and not having to work!

The Greatest feeling ever...Especially on a beautiful spring day!

Today I was once again on call, as I have been every Wednesday now for the past month or so. Usually the managers, especially Jared, make me come in On Wednesdays. Fortunately, on this beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day, I did not have to come into work tonight!! That was a blessing if there ever was one. Nobody should've had to work on a day as nice as today was. Today was absolutely beautiful. I am not sure who had to work today or not; I just know that I did not have to and that was perfectly fine with me.

Before leaving to go see the Barnegat Lighthouse, and then eventually driving back home, my Uncle J took me out for lunch today to the Galloway Diner. He got some Corn Chowder Soup while I ordered a Kansas City Grilled Chicken Sandwich (delicious!) Thank you Uncle J!

Tomorrow I am off from work as well as Friday night. The fact that they gave me Friday off is quite an unbelievable shock! Friday is not the type of day that management likes to give away that easily, unless of course one requests off. Even then it is not guarantee. The Great One has been going to work so frequently day after day and I feel as though I deserve a break so I can have some fun and clear my head. I deserve this time away from work to enjoy the gem that is the beautiful spring weather we have had. Lord knows I like to have cash in the pockets. I also enjoy being able to make money and feeling financially secure for someone at this stage of my life.

However, I also know that I am still young, still vibrant, and this is my final semester of college. I am beginning the final month of my extensive college career. There will be plenty of time to work in the future. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me getting three or four days off in a row from P.F Chang's. I think it is great. This feels wonderful! By the time Saturday night comes around, perhaps I won't feel as cranky at the beginning of my shift.

I have a menu test to take on Monday, which will decide whether or not I get in-house trainer certification. You know what? I will take some time to study for that test, but I am not going to lose any sleep worrying about it. Why should I worry about such a thing? They know that I am leaving their establishment in June. I know that I am heading into the final four weeks of the semester and I will have to give a bold account of myself to make the kinds of grades that will leave me satisfied.

I will do a little bit of studying for that menu test. If I pass it with a 90% or better, good. Grand. Wonderful! If I do not pass it, oh well. It is not like I am sticking with this job for another five years. I have plenty to worry about. I have plenty of business to keep me occupied for another couple years. God will not punish me if I fail to earn a 90% or better on a menu test that will determine my two status of in-house trainer! I find graduation from college, having fun, and scoring high on the GMATs to be much more significant. We'll see what happens. I will not worry about that. Worrying gives you premature wrinkles, which a couple people say I have... I don't think so. Those people are in a VAST minority, as I am still maintain a youthful look according to everybody else (including myself, most importantly). The Great One is very handsome!

Although it never hurts to take precautions. I bought this creme that is used following the cleansing of the face. Neutrogena makes it; it's anti-wrinkle creme, which reduces and prevents wrinkling of the skin. It is crucial that I do my best to preserve the youth of such a handsome face.

Fratority was in the house!!!! Earlier today, Ray, Jhon, Anna, Brian, Jeremy and I all went to Nwing for dinner. They all kept trying to throw things in my coffee. Brian was successful on two attempts, landing both the broccoli and the Reeses candies into my cup. As a result, I did not drink that cup of coffee. Aaron joined us towards to end of the dinner period. After dinner, Ray, Anna, Brian and I went on another trip to Target. I ended up purchasing a 12 pack of Wild Cherry Pepsi. Why not Cherry Coke? Twelve packs of Cherry Coke were being sold for over $4.00 a piece. I bought a twelve pack of Wild Cherry Pepsi for $2.25. Although Coke still reigns supreme in the battle of Coke and Pepsi, the difference in the taste is not all that distinguishable.

We originally wanted to play volleyball by TRLC, but apparently those plans have been postponed. Many of us have work to do and it is getting pretty late. Tomorrow night I will be attending Evan's big Jungle Juice shindig. The kid is always inviting me over to parties at his apartment and I always end up having prior engagements. It is about time that I hang out with that crew (Evan, his new roommates, Nicole, Dan, Chuck, and sometimes the unforgettable beer brewing Dave Flanders makes a special guest appearance) because it has been a while. I have been looking forward to it for a few weeks now. The Great One will be live and direct in F-Court tomorrow night baby! It is going to be HOT!

For now, I must do some reading for Money and the American Imagination as well as some research for my Facilities Management group project. Everyone take care and be safe.

Peace.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]