First-Year Student Journals : David : Journal 2

David stands beside the mural of Tower Records building

Vinyl record of Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde on David's turntable

A peace sign hangs from David's messenger bag

David | Profile | Reflections | Journals: 1 2

3 October 2003

I am young enough to know everything. The only thing I have to declare is my own genius. That said…

Thank God, Game Day is here! I thought it would never come. It’s like waiting for Christmas. I feel the urge in my heart to throw open my window and yell to the world “Happy Game Day” like Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol.” All the chaos, hysteria, furor and adrenaline are here, and where am I? As far away from campus as possible.

Nothing against football. It’s fun to play. Just the other night my friends and I played a dirty game of mud football over on the field next to San Jacinto. We played from 4 a.m. to dawn. It was awesome. I especially loved when Will got a bloody nose. And seeing Marco collapse on Eric, causing his leg to shatter and the bone protrude from his skin, causing blood to get on all of our dirty clothes, is something I will always think back and laugh about.

But I am just tired of all the madness. The screaming. The orange. It’s enough to drive a man insane. Nothing against UT, but there is so much burnt orange and hook ’em clothing around campus it has become nauseating. I don’t know if I can last the whole season.

So because of the large influx of rabid fans that have invaded the campus, I’ve retreated to the mountains of Austin to read a book and write this journal entry. To my left is a “beautiful” view of mansions and power lines. And much to my disdain, it seems many orange clad families have thought it would be a good idea to bring their loud children up here for some pre-game sight seeing. No matter where I go, I can’t escape them. At least the weather is nice up here.

I haven’t been sleeping much. School work, radio show work, film work, all keep me tossing and turning quite efficiently. But I would have to say that the number one contributor to the bags under my eyes would be my dorm neighbors—the loudest, most obnoxious, testosterone-filled gorillas I have ever seen. You know the type. They have a tendency to invite the whole floor to their room at 3 a.m. to observe their “tight” video game competitions, watch a sport or engage in some movie watching. Every five minutes they erupt like torture victims in painful cries of celebration that make me want to jump out my window.

Yeah…nights are pretty rough. At least with the lack of sleep I am getting things done.

I recently took my first two tests of the semester. It was a slap in the face. My study habits need to improve dramatically. But there is something strange about Latin. I study every night for it for an hour or so, going over vocabulary, declensions and conjugations, and still I am struggling to keep a passing grade. I really don’t know how I’m going to fare in this class and, quite frankly, it worries me.

I’ve decided I’m going to take advantage of the huge libraries on campus. I feel like my knowledge of literature is lacking, so I am going to try to read a new book every week. The libraries here are great. But the library isn’t just a place to find books and films, it’s also a great place to get things done. I have learned that it is impossible for me to get serious work done in my dorm room. It’s too distracting. So I’m going to start walking to the Perry-Castañeda Library across the street from Jester to work. I need the quiet environment.

My radio show is going well. I feel like I’m getting over all the FM jitters and am really finding my voice on the air. It’s a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to volunteer at KVRX. Good people. Good times. My show is at 7 p.m. every Monday. Tune in at www.kvrx.org.

My film is on postponement. But for good reasons. I have met an independent film producer and he gave me his e-mail address. He said e-mail him with anything I need. Who am I to disappoint the man? I’ll send him a few short screenplays, my resume of work experience and this idea my good friend Chris and I have been working with. I think it will go well.

Speaking of film, there are some good things to look forward to. The Union is going to play “Irreversible” and “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” two good movies in between a bunch of mediocrity being shown. “Lost in Translation” is opening and I can’t wait to see it. Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume One” will be here soon. I’ll be there opening day. And I downloaded the trailer to “The Return of the King” because I didn’t want to pay $8 to see it before “Secondhand Lions.” I’ll be honest with you, I’m a science-fiction/fantasy genre fanatic and I am more excited to see what happens to Frodo and Aragorn (I haven’t read the books) than I was for the Star Wars prequels (which I unashamedly love). It’s shaping up to be a great trilogy.

RTF is still succeeding in disappointing. I’m thinking about getting out before it kills all the love I have for film. Maybe an English major. I’m not going to quit on my dreams, but I realize that a major in RTF will not get me anything. I’d rather fine-tune my writing skills with an English major. I don’t know though. We’ll see how next semester shapes up.

All in all, I’m enjoying here at UT much more. Austin has more to offer than I thought, and I’m discovering a lot of it. Too bad I’m not discovering anything about myself. C’est la vie. Until next time, Godspeed.



	David \| Profile \| Reflections \| Journals: 1 2 Home
	3 October 2003 I am young enough to know everything. The only thing I have to declare is my own genius. That said… Thank God, Game Day is here! I thought it would never come. It’s like waiting for Christmas. I feel the urge in my heart to throw open my window and yell to the world “Happy Game Day” like Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol.” All the chaos, hysteria, furor and adrenaline are here, and where am I? As far away from campus as possible. Nothing against football. It’s fun to play. Just the other night my friends and I played a dirty game of mud football over on the field next to San Jacinto. We played from 4 a.m. to dawn. It was awesome. I especially loved when Will got a bloody nose. And seeing Marco collapse on Eric, causing his leg to shatter and the bone protrude from his skin, causing blood to get on all of our dirty clothes, is something I will always think back and laugh about. But I am just tired of all the madness. The screaming. The orange. It’s enough to drive a man insane. Nothing against UT, but there is so much burnt orange and hook ’em clothing around campus it has become nauseating. I don’t know if I can last the whole season. So because of the large influx of rabid fans that have invaded the campus, I’ve retreated to the mountains of Austin to read a book and write this journal entry. To my left is a “beautiful” view of mansions and power lines. And much to my disdain, it seems many orange clad families have thought it would be a good idea to bring their loud children up here for some pre-game sight seeing. No matter where I go, I can’t escape them. At least the weather is nice up here. I haven’t been sleeping much. School work, radio show work, film work, all keep me tossing and turning quite efficiently. But I would have to say that the number one contributor to the bags under my eyes would be my dorm neighbors—the loudest, most obnoxious, testosterone-filled gorillas I have ever seen. You know the type. They have a tendency to invite the whole floor to their room at 3 a.m. to observe their “tight” video game competitions, watch a sport or engage in some movie watching. Every five minutes they erupt like torture victims in painful cries of celebration that make me want to jump out my window. Yeah…nights are pretty rough. At least with the lack of sleep I am getting things done. I recently took my first two tests of the semester. It was a slap in the face. My study habits need to improve dramatically. But there is something strange about Latin. I study every night for it for an hour or so, going over vocabulary, declensions and conjugations, and still I am struggling to keep a passing grade. I really don’t know how I’m going to fare in this class and, quite frankly, it worries me. I’ve decided I’m going to take advantage of the huge libraries on campus. I feel like my knowledge of literature is lacking, so I am going to try to read a new book every week. The libraries here are great. But the library isn’t just a place to find books and films, it’s also a great place to get things done. I have learned that it is impossible for me to get serious work done in my dorm room. It’s too distracting. So I’m going to start walking to the Perry-Castañeda Library across the street from Jester to work. I need the quiet environment. My radio show is going well. I feel like I’m getting over all the FM jitters and am really finding my voice on the air. It’s a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to volunteer at KVRX. Good people. Good times. My show is at 7 p.m. every Monday. Tune in at www.kvrx.org. My film is on postponement. But for good reasons. I have met an independent film producer and he gave me his e-mail address. He said e-mail him with anything I need. Who am I to disappoint the man? I’ll send him a few short screenplays, my resume of work experience and this idea my good friend Chris and I have been working with. I think it will go well. Speaking of film, there are some good things to look forward to. The Union is going to play “Irreversible” and “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” two good movies in between a bunch of mediocrity being shown. “Lost in Translation” is opening and I can’t wait to see it. Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume One” will be here soon. I’ll be there opening day. And I downloaded the trailer to “The Return of the King” because I didn’t want to pay $8 to see it before “Secondhand Lions.” I’ll be honest with you, I’m a science-fiction/fantasy genre fanatic and I am more excited to see what happens to Frodo and Aragorn (I haven’t read the books) than I was for the Star Wars prequels (which I unashamedly love). It’s shaping up to be a great trilogy. RTF is still succeeding in disappointing. I’m thinking about getting out before it kills all the love I have for film. Maybe an English major. I’m not going to quit on my dreams, but I realize that a major in RTF will not get me anything. I’d rather fine-tune my writing skills with an English major. I don’t know though. We’ll see how next semester shapes up. All in all, I’m enjoying here at UT much more. Austin has more to offer than I thought, and I’m discovering a lot of it. Too bad I’m not discovering anything about myself. C’est la vie. Until next time, Godspeed.