"I Wish I Went There Now"

"I wish I went there now" is a common phrase I've heard over the last few years from alumni, whether it's involving high school or college.

We are always jealous when a new generation gets something added to their school that we never had.

Chick-Fil-A, a winning football program, new residence halls, state-of-the-art facilities, and more green space on campus are just a handful of things Temple University has or will have in the future. Even with rumors of a new football stadium, it comes with great excitement. How could you blame a teenager for wanting all of this at their university?

There's one caveat to all this. Price. Temple isn't doing this out of their pocket. Want that stadium? It's going to cost money to build. Want to live in the newer residence halls? That costs more money. We know the new library isn't being done for free either. 

I finished my last semester of undergrad at Temple in the fall of 2007 and even walking on campus the last few years, I noticed a drastic change from the campus. Ten years later and it's still changing. A lot more housing options, food options, and better facilities - I didn't even recognize McGonigle Hall. 

These are definitely changes for the better, especially when it comes to aesthetics and getting more people to stay on campus.

But these changes come with a price and the onus is usually on the student and their tuition. The average annual tuition (depends on your major) for Temple is $15,800-$20,000. That's NOT including room and board (meal plans). The average in 2006-2007 including living expenses was $19,836 (source: Temple Archives).

The increase in tuition is evident from ten years ago. 

Look at the football program. I'm thrilled that Temple Football is back on the map in a positive manner. I sat through a 19-game losing streak. Under Matt Rhule over the last four seasons, football went 28-23 which doesn't sound great. Yet, the last two seasons, they went 20-7. That's a long way away from the Bobby Wallace regime. 

What made for the turnaround besides the hiring of Matt Rhule in 2013? The cut of SEVEN intercollegiate teams, include: baseball, softball, men's and women's rowing, men's gymnastics, men's indoor track and field and men's outdoor track and field. It saved the university a lot of money and redirected it towards the football program. Granted, most universities have an average of 17 intercollegiate teams, Temple had 24 at the time. (Source: 6abc)

Add in the newest technology, the price of gas and train tickets, housing, streaming services, and so on, college is a lot more expensive now than just ten years ago. Hell, last week Temple was about to raise the price of meals plans because of the soda tax, which added 1.5 cents per ounce to the price a sugary drink, but they since reversed course on that. (source: Philly Mag)

Colleges, except LaSalle University who "...Announces Bold New Move in Tuition Affordability", are only going to get more expensive. 

I'm thrilled Temple is thriving, that applications are soaring, that their football team is doing well, and that they're getting a Chick-Fil-A. It would be great to go there now, except it would just add more debt to my already growing list.

If I went there now, I wouldn't know my friends and wouldn't have the same experiences I once had. 

Keep your Chick-Fil-A. I loved my late night Taco Bell and Burger King runs. 

Enjoy the football now though. There once was a time where Temple almost folded the program over.

Sources: http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/archive/webarchive/bulletin2006/Enrolling/financial_information/financial_aid/fininfo_financial_aid.shtm

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/03/15/temple-blames-board-hike-soda-tax/

http://www.lasalle.edu/blog/2016/09/27/la-salle-university-announces-bold-new-move-tuition-affordability/

http://6abc.com/archive/9351556/

March Madness: It's Madness

For four straight days, three weekends in a row, all eyes are on the NCAA.

Eat. Sleep. Breath. Basketball

Between CBS, TruTV, TBS, TNT, the March Madness app, and NCAA.com, it is everywhere. There's no denying that.  Businesses on Thursday and Friday during the Field of 64 suffers tremendously as fans stream and pay more attention to the games than their actual work.

I even got in trouble (well, not trouble trouble) while working a few year's back when the business caught wind of me watching a game because of the amount of bandwidth that the streaming used. The games are addicting.

Eyes and fingers are glued to these games. A great play? Tweet about it. A horrible call? Tweet about it. The camera pans on an emotional fan too long? Meme it and plaster it all over social media. This could go on for almost 11 hours a day. We are bombarded by the games, for at least the first weekend anyway.

The games are played by the students.

Yet, it's the rest of humanity who are gambling on who will win potential matchups almost three weeks in advance. Then, if our picks go wrong, we're quick to judge and ridicule and take to social media to blast the team, the coaches, officiating, the other team.

I get it. We're emotional and are quick on the trigger enter (send) button. I'm guilty of it too. We don't let the kids play. Hell, even the refs are starting to get involved in outcomes (via calls or lack-thereof).

A main component of March Madness is the bracket. We're glued to the games to see if our guesses were right. While some fill out brackets for fun, a good number of people spend money to fill out a bracket in hopes of winning a lot of money. That means we're even more invested in the outcomes because we have a chance to make money.

There's a term that gets thrown around in March that can ruin everyone's bracket: Cinderella.

Cinderella is the nickname given to a team that "isn't supposed to be there."They are typically a lower-seeded team who are beating the bigger-named teams and busting everyone's brackets.

While some schools are mis-seeded, they have to play the teams in front of them, and you hope the team you picked wins. There will always be at least a 12-seed upsetting a 5 and 9 beating an 8. Middle Tennessee State won as a 12-seed over 5-seeded Minnesota, 9-seed Wisconsin beat 8-seeded Virginia Tech. Middle Tennessee State was viewed as a potential Cinderella, just like Vermont

This past weekend, during the first- and second rounds of the 2017 Tournament, we had a few minor upsets, but no buzzer-beating, bracket-busting games. If a low seed won on Thursday or Friday, most of them weren't going to win on Saturday or Sunday... right?

Wrong.

University of North Carolina was down late to Arkansas, and a late call/non-call turned the game around. 2-seed Louisville lost handily to 7-seed Michigan, 3-seed Florida State was destroyed by 11-seed Xavier by 20 points. The two biggest "upsets", or well surprises, were 9-seeded Wisconsin beating the overall number 1-seeded Villanova and 2-seed Duke losing to University of South Carolina, a 7-seed.

As a gambler, you're pissed.Your bracket is most likely busted.

As a basketball lover, you're thrilled because there are new teams involved and while they may not be a double digit seed, they are another form of a Cinderella.

Having the same people at the same dance year after year gets old.

Cinderella and gambling help make March go mad.

Can anyone actually sit through a college game in March and just enjoy it? Nope.

We all go a little bonkers in March

Why I Write

I've tried keeping up with a blog several times over the last five years and have constantly failed.

I have a few good thoughts that I think people would want to read and I share those thoughts, but I haven't kept with one specific theme throughout any of them. (which is kind of like my life)

Sports, theater, education, family, movies, social media, running, music, and so on.
These are what define me.

I have never been a person who has been great at one thing. I've been good at a lot of things (pats self on back).

I have never been a person who has had a passion for just one thing and maximized it.

From the end of high school to now, I have barely done the same thing or lived at the same address longer than 2 years. I moved almost every year in college and bounced around a bit between Disney and back in Philadelphia.

But back to my writing.

Since being introduced to Facebook in 2004, I have been on it and utilized it a whole bunch. In college, people would tease me that I was on it too much. I even made a suggestion during an election that we should utilize Facebook, but others just said it wasn't going to turn into anything. Yeah... Facebook hasn't turned into anything at all...

I have gained over 4,000 Facebook friends since I've been on it. It's a following of sorts. I have kept those who have passed away, even just for picture memories. Facebook is an online journal. It's a way for others to know what's going on.

Some use Facebook for fun - for jokes and for sharing memes.
Some use Facebook for family - sharing pictures of kids and updates of health and wellness
Some use Facebook for work - sharing deals and other promotional items
Some use Facebook for health - for food ideas, for workouts, etc.

I use it for all of the above.

I love a status that gets people thinking, or motivated, or happy for the good things in someone's life. I try to wish everyone a happy birthday on the actual day because it's a nice thing and just let's someone know that someone is thinking of them. I post about movies and sports because someone else will feel the same or share the excitement or passion of that moment. I share moments with family, friends, and colleagues.

I'm an open book and kinda always have been. I'm not giving out my Social Security Number, my phone number, address, or any personal info. I'm not cursing or causing any ill-will on any person or negatively bashing any job or boss I have ever had.

Writing is a way of expression. When I tweet, I'm doing the same thing. It's getting thoughts out there that I want the world to hear.

People joke about "my blog", that I post too much or that I'm constantly on Facebook.

THERE ARE WORSE THINGS IN THE WORLD I COULD BE DOING WITH MY TIME AND WORDS!

If you don't like my blog, don't read it.
If you don't like what I post, de-friend or hide me. (Though those are childish reasons)
If you don't like what I have to say, that's your choice.

But telling me what I can and cannot write or what I should and should not post, should not be your judgement.

I don't post everything that I write; sometimes I just write it down and click delete.  It's just getting it off my chest and/or mind.

This is my version of a journal. It's my journey that I'm willing to share with you. It's nothing like the over-sharing I mentioned before. I'm not sharing bathroom habits or anything of that sort.

I write because I like it and it's doing no damage to you, the reader, or anyone else.

If you want to share your feelings, comment below.

I don't know exactly where this image came from, but I felt it was appropriate. 

Top 10 Struggles Today's Youth Will Never Experience

There's no denying that kids today are a bit more privileged today than ever before. Given a cell phone at 10 years old, gives them a lot of power that kids never experienced before. "With great power comes great responsibility", right? There also comes a lot more privacy issues that parents are as equipped to handle. My generation did have AOL and Instant Messenger, but we also talked on the phone a lot. If you were on the internet, your parents couldn't use the phone, until they got a second line just for the computer. 

Below is a list I compiled that I dealt with that kids today won't:

1. Writing a Facebook status that always has "is" in it. 
2. Being stuck at one location to log-in to AOL (ethernet, desktops, etc.)
3. It you did get a wifi card, it had to be an external connector (not every device had wifi built into it)
4. Working for less than the price of your lunch ($5.50/hr)
5. Being restricted to "free" calls after a certain time and not going over your minutes. 
6. Sending too many text messages and watching your parents phone bill skyrocket 
7. Having to wait until your lunch period to eat food in class 
8. Picking a handful of cds you want to listen to while on vacation.
9. Calling collect and fitting an entire message to your parents in 2 seconds.
10. Calling someone's house and having their parents answer

Have one that I didn't think of? Add 'em below!

Own or Stream?

Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Flixster, etc.

These are just a handful of streaming services that people use every single day. You pay, on average, $10/month for these services that have thousands of products in their inventory that they open up to you.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, especially when a lot of people are trying to cut the cord and the massive compact disc collection they've amassed since 1997.

When it comes to music, people are putting their CDs on their computer and then never use the CD again. When it comes to movies, people watch their Blu-rays or DVDs a handful of times and then watch the collection rise.

Why have all these discs just pile up only to be used once or twice?

To me, I like having the control of what I want to watch and listen to. These streaming services add and take away from their collection all the time. They use the supply and demand to keep people coming back. Netflix and Amazon are making original programming, Apple Music and Tidal are offering exclusive music, and so on.

If I'm in the mood to watch a particular movie or listen to a particular album, I want to be able to without permission of a company.

Don't get me wrong, these streaming services are pretty convenient to use. When you're binge-watching The West Wing (which I'm currently doing) or watching the new seasons of Orange is the New Black or House of Cards, the automatic queue is a wonderful thing and there's no need to change discs in your DVD or Blu-ray player.

It's the lazy man's dream!

But there's not one song or movie that you're streaming, that you can say you own.

Not one.

Your friend can't borrow your DVD/Blu-Ray, only your Netflix password (which they'll probably catch on to). Your friend can't borrow your CD either, which makes sharing songs harder.

In fact, I tried using an Apple Music song I downloaded (which is protected) and put it in a Final Cut Pro X video I was making.

Nope. Apple said no. What's funny is that Apple owns both companies.

Maybe it's just me, but if I'm going to be paying for something, I'd want to feel as if it were mine and not taken away the second I stop paying for a subscription.

Think about this: the second you stop paying for Apple Music and Netflix, the collection you made while subscribing is gone with a snap. It's like you never owned it. At least with eReaders, you technically still own the book after you're stop being a paid member or Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Cars are getting rid of CD players (which I believe is a mistake), computers are getting rid of their optical drives (that run the discs) and many entertainment outlets are going cloud-based (less physical inventory and a lot more money in return).

It's smart for the businesses since their margins are a lot bigger now. It's smart for the consumer because they now have less "stuff" piling up.

Personally, if Netflix or Apple allowed me to download and keep my entertainment afterwards, I'd be 100% on board.

Until then, I'm still weary of jumping ship on the discs altogether.

Your thoughts? Leave some comments below!

Sharing is Caring...

...right?

But what if you're oversharing?

From a young age, we're taught to share things with one another: toys, feelings, and thoughts, most notably.

All are good things to share because it means we are opening ourselves up in hopes to understand and help others.

But at what point does it become oversharing?

A lot of kids are starting to get phones by the time they hit the double-digit mark. Now, they can't use their phones while sleeping, and they can't use it at school, so that leaves roughly eight hours a day for a kid to be able to be on their phone.

You can look at the nature/nurture debate until the cows come home, but if kids see their parents on their phone, they'll just assume that it's okay for them to do it at any time. Kids may not see what their parents are doing on their phones or iPads, but they just see them on their device.

Now, most kids are very easily manipulated into following the trends. Once a friend does it, they want to join so they keep up with everyone else. Whether it's Snapchat, Instagram, ask.fm, Twitter, or any other app, teens are sharing everything. I mean, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and they are not holding back. From pictures of their Disney trips to explicit messages that would make a priest cross himself. Most of these are made public too. Meaning anyone can see or read them. A few apps require a mutual approval, but most are public.

When Facebook first came out with the ability to write a status, our parents would always jokingly, but secretly mean it, when they said not everyone needs to know when you went to the bathroom. I, thank goodness, have never made a bowel movement status or made mention to one. I do post a lot. I'll write silly statuses, song quotes, post funny memes, videos from last night's Fallon or Colbert, and the occasional vacation.

Yet, it's now the parents who are becoming guilty of sharing too much. Whether it's their child's first time using the toilet, their exploding diapers, or the vomit, parents are just sharing too much. They make their kids look like amateurs. Add in their conspiracy theories and their right- or left-wing agenda, and all bets are off.

In between being a kid to being married with children, we all date to find our future significant other. In college, we meet others at parties, the bar, or in class.

In the real world, you look at a happy hour or maybe an organization you're a part of.

More and more though, people are turning to online dating. Not because they are desperate, but because it's become the best way to meet new people. There are a couple steps in the online dating process:

1. Passing the eye test (are they attractive?)
2. Are they interesting? (Do they have actual stuff written in their profile?)
3. Pick-up line or a simple hello? (Too cheesy and they won't respond. Too simple and it doesn't look like you're truly interested or didn't read their profile.
4. Did the person actually respond to the initial message?
5. Enough of a connection online to meet? (want them to want to meet you).
6. A successful meet and the rest is history.
*7. If #6 fails, start back at #1.

* If necessary.

Online dating can be very successful, but it's a slippery slope. We don't actually see the person we're talking to face-to-face, so you're hoping your words make them stay.

• What do we say?
• What do we share?
• When should I tell him/her this?
• Do I tell them I like this music group or activity?

In the online dating world, if we share too much, we might overdo it and lose out on a relationship. If we don't share enough, we can be viewed as not interesting / interested. With one wrong word, we can be ghosted (just stop talking without letting the other person know). Do we add them on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn (doubt it), or any other site without scaring them off with our online habits. It's a fine line we walk to keep one interested.


It's an interesting time we live in, as there are many different outlets for videos, pictures, and just sharing of our thoughts and actions everyday. We're not reality TV stars who are constantly on camera for money. We're not movie stars who need to share our duck face with the world. We're not on LL Cool J's "Lip Sync Battle" and need to show people we can lip-sync to The Chainsmoker's "Closer".

These are all fun to do with our friends but do we need to share EVERYTHING we do?

Do we need to share embarrassing photos without our friends/family knowing and hope they don't find out about it?

Is it necessary to share your kids' first bath or time on the toilet? (side note: these kids will end up seeing it online when they get older)

Some things are better off not being broadcasted to the world. Some things can just between a few people.

Sharing is fine. Oversharing can just lead to unnecessary tension between two people.

Share carefully, my friends.