World's Worst Gift Ideas

As I returned home to Pennsylvania this Thanksgiving weekend and sat down to watch TV for the first time in ages, I knew soon enough that the Christmas season will soon be upon us, because the Pennsylvania Lottery has started showing this year's version of their "Lottery Tickets Make Great Gifts" commercial (I'd provide a YouTube link, but I couldn't find one).  I beg to differ.  Lottery tickets do NOT make great gifts, because most of them have less than a 1-in-1000 chance of actually being worth something significant.  If you're really trying to show someone how much you care about them, giving them a lottery ticket in lieu of any other gift is not really a good way to do it.  And guys, they're definitely NOT a good gift idea for your girlfriends.  "Oh, you got me a lottery ticket... this means that there's a one-in-a-million chance that you care about me very, very much, or more likely that you don't care squat about me!  Thanks... you're the best!" 

Facebook Privacy

My mom just drove home to me a point that I'm sure many of you out there in Reader Land may have reason to be concerned about pretty soon.  She suggested (to put it mildly) that I need to "clean up [my] Facebook page", because prospective grad schools are probably gonna look at it when I start applying this winter.  Now, I'd like to believe that none of the material on my page could be considered controversial.  Yes, there's pictures of me having a good time, but all of the events depicted - including Senior 250's - were school-sponsored.  There are no pictures of me holding alcohol, at least not as far as I can tell.  I've done my best to keep the coarse language to a minimum, and I highly doubt that the pictures of me in my swim trunks when I was whitewater rafting could be considered provocative.

The nature of my page's content aside, my question is this:  How will prospective grad schools and / or employers be able to see the contents of my Facebook page when I've specifically designated my privacy settings so that only my friends can see my page?  I'd like to think that I have nothing to worry about, even if I might have something that could possibly be misconstrued in the wrong way.  But could someone please answer me honestly: am I being naive here?  Could the powers-that-be at the place I'm applying to somehow override my privacy settings and see what I intended to be kept hidden?  I'm really troubled by this right now.  Am I going to have to do like Jack Donaghy did on "30 Rock" and hire a detective to uncover any hidden issues that could jeopardize my career?  ":-|

Football Games

I just love how Baltimore can claim to be a football city while blacking out practically every game that isn't the Ravens.  When I checked the online TV guide last Wednesday night, it said that the Steelers-Bengals game would be shown on Sunday at 1 on CBS.  But when I turned on CBS this afternoon, instead of the game, I saw an infomercial.  WTF?  It's one thing if the Ravens are playing at the same time and on the same network as the Steelers; I graciously acknowledge that the local team takes precedence.  But when the Ravens aren't even playing til Monday night, it's just plain rude to deny fans of other teams the chance to watch their team.  Moreover, it's rude to football fans in general, because most of us set aside our Sunday afternoons for the sole purpose of watching football.  If you're not even going to show football, at least show something that's worth watching, instead of bombarding us with three hours of infomercials. 

Lack of Ride and Lack of Social Life

I've just been looking through my Facebook news feed and saw all of pictures of all the cool Halloween costumes and fun times people had last night, and I'm kinda starting to feel depressed because I didn't join in the festivities.  Well, for one thing, I didn't get up til 4:15 in the afternoon because I desperately needed to catch up on all the sleep that my grueling class schedule has deprived me of this past week.  Secondly, I don't have a car, and am too strapped for cash to pay for a cab (say, whatever happened to Loyola's EnviroRide program?).  Third, and most importantly, I didn't really have any friends to hang out with.  Yeah, I have friends, but they're all pretty tight with one another and always seem to leave me out of the loop, or they're too busy for me, or something like that... How does one manage to have over six hundred friends on Facebook and (for all intents and purposes) no friends in real life?  Ever since I got here as a freshman, I've wanted to go out and explore as much of Baltimore as I possibly could, but my lack of both a ride and friends who are able and willing to drive me have made this impossible.  And any time I've had the chance to actually get out, something always comes up to get in the way.  For example, I almost went to my first Orioles game at Camden Yards in September, but I couldn't get to the stadium because all the damn Towson kids had usurped every seat on the shuttle.  And just last week, my roommates and I had tickets for the Maryland Renaissance Faire, but didn't have any way to get there because the person who was supposed to drive us couldn't make it.  Oh, and there's also that time two summers ago, when I was in Baltimore and the Pirates (then my favorite team) were playing at Camden Yards, and it was Student Night so I could get in cheap, but I had no way to get there because the shuttle wasn't running and none of my friends were around and I wasn't about to go by myself... Why is no one ever there for me when I need them?

And y'know, this lack of a vehicle also makes it kinda hard to get a girlfriend... it's hard to convince a girl that you're worth spending an evening with when you don't have a feasible way to get the two of you to the place you want to go... I've never actually gotten a girl to go on a date with me, but I'm a little worried about how awkward it might be if she has to be the one to drive, because then I feel like I'm just using her to get somewhere, when I'm really not trying to, I just want to spend some time with her; it ain't my fault my family's dirt poor and I can't afford to own a car....

I'm a pretty socially awkward person, so it's hard for me to organize a group of friends to actually do something fun with me.  I don't like to try to force myself into a group, cuz then I just feel like I'm intruding and cramping their style.  People, it's okay to invite me to hang out with you on the weekend.  I'm a really nice guy, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy my company if you just take the time to get to know me.  I'm not looking to get riproaring drunk and get into trouble; all I want is to be able to live a little in the five or six months I've got left here at Loyola before I graduate...

B-)

Oh, and by the way, if you're still reading, I am taking the Math GRE next Saturday morning at 8 at Towson University, and I am in serious need of a ride.  I will probably also need a ride to the ProMetric Testing Center in Towson the Saturday after that at noon for the general GRE.  If anyone is at all able and willing to help me out, please please PLEEEEEEEASE let me know ASAP!  I will be more than forever grateful for any help you can give me!  Thanks!

B-)