Green Street Hooligans

One of my favorite movies of all time is Green Street Hooligans. The movie takes place in England somewhere around the 1990's. Elijah Wood is a student kicked out of college two weeks prior to graduation due to his friend, or so called friend's stupidity. He left his drugs in Wood's belongings and he Wood was expelled. Then, the story truly began.

Wood precedes to travel to England to visit the only family he feels he has left in his sister. Shortly after arriving, Wood is introduced to Pete Dunham, Wood's sister's brother-in-law. He is a hooligan who follows the soccer team known as United around. These hooligans often fight other soccer team's firms. Pete tried convincing Wood to go home or do something else but he insists on coming to watch the game. After the first game, Wood gets caught up in the midst of the other teams firm. As they are about to jump him, Pete comes to the rescue to save little Wood from disaster. From that point on an awkward bond became relevant.

Wood and Dunham become closer than any two characters in the plot. Between bar hopping, fighting, and doing other hooligan activities, these two become closer than brothers. 

Throughout the story the hooligans fight and fight until one day the rival gang to United shows up and Pete heroically saves his family through taking a beating. The beating was so severe that Pete died. Through his death Wood learns that life has limits and they can be reached. He goes back to Harvard where he was expelled, makes his room mate confess and almost fights him. Instead of fighting though he is reinstated into the University and finishes college. It is a heart warming ending with a story full of action. 

Biggie Smalls

Everyone knows about the prominent rapper that went by the surname Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G. Biggie Smalls real name was Christopher Wallace and he was born in the streets of Brooklyn into poverty. He was born in the early seventies into a single mother home that could barely be called a home. While his mother worked three jobs to keep the money for rent and food coming, Biggie started thinking about other ways to make money. His businessman attitude and his lazy, make money quick mentality got him caught up in selling drugs. At the age of thirteen Wallace was slinging crack to anyone and everyone on the streets of Brooklyn. He went to jail and when he got out his music abilities shot through the roof. 

At one point Biggie almost went back to jail but his friend covered for him and took two years of heat in jail. During this time Wallace's ratings went off the wall. His records were selling at unbelievable rates and everyone wanted to book him for concerts. By nineteen Chris Wallace was one of the richest men running around New York. 

Biggie eventually had a falling out with West Coast icon Tupac Shakur and since that moment his life changed drastically. His relationship with his wife went to the sewer and his ratings began to drop. Unfortunately Biggie thought he could go to the West Coast and be completely safe. This was not the case. On his last night in California Chris Wallace was shot several times and did not even live to see the hospital doors open. Some people speculate and say it was Shakur who had him killed but no one will ever know the truth to his death. 

BLACK FRIDAY

The friday after Thanksgiving is obviously a day for everyone who likes sales. How much dedication you have to getting what you want depends on what time you are motivated to get up at all hours of the night. 

In Buffalo every store opens between midnight and four in the morning. Shocking as it is, the mall is jam packed with eager families and individuals looking to score on the next big sale. People as young as elementary school children with their mothers to elderly folks are shopping like maniac seventeen year old girls in hollister. Whether people are old or young, man or woman it is irrelevant. The manners of "Buffalonians" seems to disappear when it comes to materialistic items. One woman wanted an Elmo toy so bad she began to get into a verbal fight with another woman for grabbing it. Management came to settle the argument but none the less two grown women were fighting over Elmo for five dollars off the original price. 

Come on folks lets start putting things in perspective. Is it really necessary to wake up at four in the morning to begin with to save a few  bucks? If so the need to become arrogant and lose the sense of humanism is for sure not necessary. If everyone would take it easy and wake up at a decent hour maybe things like this would not happen.

I am a victim and a hypocrite though. I did go shopping on Black Friday and unfortunately I caught myself saying how lucky I was to have received such a good sale. The public opinion of how great the sales are wear off on others and it is like a domino effect. One person says they found a great sale and the next thing you know five or six people are going to look for that same sale. Although it is not a big harm it just goes to show the materialistic views American's have on life.

HOME

I did not realize how much I missed home until I actually arrived there this past weekend. It was my first time home since we came to Cortland and the little things meant the most. It never comes to mind what is important to a person, especially me when everything is taken for granted.

When I arrived at exit six and started to see familiar buildings in my hometown, nothing felt better. I drove past my high school as well as my favorite restaurant as well as my old house and the park filled with baseball fields. Even though it has only been a few months since I have been home, it still feels like it has been forever. My mother's home cooked meal was delicious and I could not stop there. I preceded to go to Mighty Taco with two friends. Mighty Taco is a famous taco shop native to Buffalo. Unfortunately for everyone else in other area codes they have to eat Taco Bell. It was not just the places I went or the food I was eating. It was more being in the home type atmosphere and being able to relax from school.

To go along with the food and the safe net atmosphere, it was also enjoyable to see friends who came back from school. The colleges are different but all of the stories seemed oddly similar. It seemed like everyone had done familiar activities. Whether these activities were positive or negative is irrelevant but the stories were funny none the less.

More importantly than the funny stories and the good food was the fact that I was able to see my dog. It is hard to explain a young man's relationship with his dog to anyone who does not have a pet. I missed taking her for walks and such and it was also nice to get back into doing activities like so.

Comparing

By going to a college a bit down state from my home, I run into many Long Islanders. Until I came here for college I did not realize the difference between up state people and down state individuals.
The habits and tendencies realm so far apart from each other it sometimes seems as though there are two different species in New York. Yes there are some similarities but the differences are overwhelming when put into perspective.
Within the first week I was in Cortland, everyone or at least it seemed like everyone from Long Island was either looking for someone who cut hair or cut hair themselves. The words "taper" and "shape-up" were being used frequently. Had I not asked my friend from the island what these words meant I would have thought they were some sort of island slang. Little did I know they were hair cut terms. We continued in conversation and apparently down state individuals take getting their hair cut very seriously. Little did I know that the kid had his own barber. Where I am from everyone goes to the local hair cut shops, pays five dollars and gets a shave. It seems like up state kids care much less about the hair styles than people from the island. This is not the only difference. I will often times catch myself hearing a couple students from the island say "open the draw", forgetting to say the "R". It is a bit funny and makes an up state kid like me giggle at the differences. Although they are minor they are sometimes funny to compare.

Cortaca

This upcoming weekend has been hyped up and talked about for weeks. The famous weekend known as Cortaca has finally arrived. Since I have been here from day one I have heard stories and nothing but pandemonium about this unrecognized holiday in the small town of Cortland. 

The rivalry that lives between the two cities of Cortland and Ithaca is the biggest Division three rivalry in the country. This may be an exaggeration but none the less Cortland and Ithaca students act that way around this time of year. Even though this year the game is in Ithaca, that will not take away from the lively festivities that take place throughout the town. Students show their pride by wearing anything with the beloved "C" on it. 

I personally have not bought a ticket to the game but many students I know have bought their five dollar ticket and will be on their way to Ithaca for the game early Saturday morning. I heard a group of students express that they were going to be grilling and tailgating up in Ithaca from Friday night until the game. This seems crazy but exceptionally fun to me. My first Cortaca game was in Cortland and I sold my ticket and I am starting to debate whether maybe I should head to Ithaca this year. 

Four of my friends from home are coming up this weekend and two of which go to SUNY Geneseo. I was told that there are murmurs around campus about how fun Cortaca is and several students from that school are coming up. This school has a crazy night life as it is let alone all of the other students from other schools who are coming to enjoy the weekend here. I can only imagine how much fun this weekend will be reminiscing with old friends and enjoying watching Cortland beat up on Ithaca in the game.

Vacation

If I had three wishes, I think the first wish I would ask for is a week vacation to Mexico. Between school, working, and the weather it just seems too perfect of an idea to pass up on. The girls, combined with the drinking age at where it should be at eighteen would be a nice break from the pressure of college.

Don't get me wrong college is an experience of a lifetime but who would pass up eighty degree weather and thousands of mature teenagers running around the beach? The first thing I would do on vacation is beach volleyball. I think I could count the number of things I like more than beach volleyball on my right hand. Other than watching sports, it may be my favorite thing to do. Other such things that I would enjoy to do on a vacation would definitely be parasailing. My brother parasailed with my cousin in Rhode Island but I was too young to do it with them. Ever since that day I have been addicted to the idea of trying it out. Anything in the water would constitute a good vacation. I love the water so such things as frisbee in the water, parasailing obviously, tackle football in the water and boating would be successful things to be doing. Hopefully within the year I can win the lottery and head to Mexico for the week.