Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin Eater

When writing my articles, I think of some creative title that not only interests me but hopefully captures your interest too. As you will soon find out, the topic that started this article is the pumpkin, and the first thing that came to mind, was that childhood rhyme. Then, within seconds of deciding on this title, my mind quickly wandered onto other topics, so I thought it would be interesting to touch on those, to show just how disrupting my thoughts can be.

It is almost October, which means two things for me: Texas versus Oklahoma and Halloween – and Halloween means pumpkins, costumes, and trick-or-treating. So before I continue, let me give some background: one of my inner-child dreams is to pick a Christmas tree from a tree farm and in a recent quest to find local tree farms, I came across pick-your-own pumpkin patches. Holy cow that would be awesome, just wait, it gets even better! Many of the patches are like miniature carnivals, and some even have corn mazes. Oh boy, I wish I were still a kid! So, if a 20 something can get this excited, just imagine what your lil ones will be like. Dive into the link and find yours!

In addition to pumpkin picking, many of these local farms offer year round fruit and vegetables, and, in case you are out of the loop, fresh is in. That means farmer’s markets and pick-your-own farms are the cool thing to do, so while you are searching for that pumpkin patch, check to see what other pick-your-own farms are close, and where your closest farmer’s market is – buy fresh, buy local!

Lastly, I mentioned how quickly my thoughts wander off, and as I was coming up with this title, the words cheater led me to football and the recent controversy with Bill Belichick. For those who live under a rock, the New England Patriots head coach has been accused of spying on an opponent’s practice to gain an advantage in play calling. Now the topic has become a concern for everyone, including Georgia’s head coach, who plays Nick Saban’s squad this weekend. With football controversies on the mind, let’s not forget, my alma mater, Texas, had another player arrested. You may think that these are just small stories, but I can feel something changing in the air and it’s not just autumn. So just be alert, in case football turns into a tornado of trouble.

Texas-sized Number of ‘Horns Arrested

Like they say, we go big in Texas…including the number of Texas football player arrested.  Wednesday night Texas safety, Tyrell Gatewood, was arrested for drug charges.  He and a fellow teammate, Ben Wells, were pulled over for failing to use a turn signal.  The officer on duty found marijuana, xanax, and a baby bottle of codeine dough syrup in the vehicle.  Wells, was released with a citation, but Gatewood was taken to the slammer.

What the hell is wrong with Texas football!  This marks our 5th player to get arrested since June, and I am sure many fans have had enough.  It is time for Mack Brown to stand firm and make a statement.  These players need to understand that they are essentially celebrities and anything they do can and will be publicized.  They are representing the University of Texas and their negative actions reflect on the university.  Regardless of a player’s athletic ability, they should be honored to receive an invitation to play for the Longhorns and any outstanding misconduct should result in expulsion from the team.  If Mack Brown is truly confident in his recruiting skills he shouldn’t fear losing a few players.  On the bright side, we don’t have to worry about losing at Ann Arbor this weekend!

Don’t Get Screwed Lebowski Style

I am currently going through a small dispute with my former landlord and although I am aware of my rights as a tenant, I am shocked at home many people are not. If you are reading this right now, you have the power of the internet at your hands. It’s as easy as typing a query into a search text box and pressing enter. This solution has been my recent motto – “wiki it” or “Google it.” Unfortunately the moving season just ended, so for many of you this is a little late, but here are a few lessons I have learned with my most recent move out:

• Upon moving in, make sure you have read over the entire lease agreement, and clarify anything that you have questions about, no matter how elementary the question might be. Everyone has their own interpretation on things, including the law, and you want to ensure that you have an understanding of the requirements.
• On the initial inventory report, document EVERY blemish, and if possible take pictures of them too. You never know if your landlord is a stickler or not.
• Take pictures or even videos if you can! Do this when you move in, when you move out, and of any other problems you encounter that require service, such as leaks or of appliance issues. If you don’t have a camera, invest in one now because you will find the value in it when you come to a dispute.
• Make all requests via email as opposed to phone. This way you have written proof of your request and your landlord cannot deny anything. Of course you need to save all emails until you have moved out and receive a satisfactory deposit refund.
• Know your rights! Go right now and search your states laws regarding landlord-tenant relationships. You’ll be surprised at how much power you actually have as a tenant.

What suggestions do you have? Do you have any horror stories? Share them in the comments.

What Makes You Smile?

If you live in Austin and listen to 101X in the morning, you might be aware of the part of the show called “What can’t Jason complain about.”  I am sure many of you will agree, it is simple to turn anything bad, but I assure you that given the right detailed scenario, even Jason couldn’t complain.  So, today I challenge you to post your perfect scenario in hopes of helping me stump Jason.

It Gives You Wings!

Red Bull Flugtag came to Austin, TX this past weekend and Texas lived up to its reputation for going big. With 85,000 in attendance, Austin set the record for the largest Fulgtag audience to date. The event was also the first Flugtag to extend past sunset, setting another record. Despite the blazing heat and a few lame entries, the event filled the night with all sorts of excitement and several lost children. If anything, I now aspire to earn a spot in Flugtag someday. Anyway, be on the lookout for pictures on my Flickr page of the event!

Texas Fight!

T-minus 8 days and counting until the Longhorns’ first game home game! That means only 8 days until we get to display our Texas traditions. Being a recent graduate, I hope to start some of my own traditions. The morning shot of whiskey is a thing of the past, now I hope to get my feet wet with one of the greatest traditions, tailgating. Unfortunately my aspirations are a bit deeper than my wallet, so I won’t be able to get that prime real estate, with a flat screen television and a huge smoker, but I refuse to settle for much less. I intend for this season to be a learning experience and that over time my tailgate will equate to my dream. Be on the lookout for updates, tips, and tricks!

On another thought, I haven’t been on campus since the end of last season, and I have no clue hwo the construction is going on the North end zone, but in my search for answers I came across a model of what DKR Memorial Stadium will look like once ALL the construction is done. Oh, the site is absolutely breathtaking, almost orgasmic! All this preseason excitement has got me feeling like a little kid on Christmas.