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| June 2007 »
NO!...I'm not talking about some Nickelodeon game show we used to watch growing up. I'm actually referring to one of my three textbooks for Economics H520: Money & Banking which has rapidly become one of my favorite classes at Ohio State.
In the confines of this text (Secrets of the Temple by William Greider, 1987), I've explored the remarkable history of our nation and its evolution of The Federal Reserve through the past century. Nine weeks and 800 pages later, I can admit that I have a general understanding of the U.S. dollar as it has expanded and contracted at the hands of The Fed for nearly 100 years. Some obvious topics that have been ironed out in class have consisted of interest and discount rates, reserve requirement ratios, inflation, and overall money supply.
The above topics, though important for economists, can often become tedious and mind-numbing for a 20-year-old, which is why my professor has elected to mix in obscure tidbits from Secrets during his lectures. Did you know that:
- Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, was a gold bug;
- John Maynard Keynes, a British economist and founder of Keynesian Economics, was married to a Russian ballerina but also had homosexual relationships with an artist and a writer;
- Paul Volcker, the 12th Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, was 6'7", and;
- George Bailey, a character in the holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life" has a real life counterpart in Marriner Eccles, the 7th Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. The correlation lies in Secrets as Eccles is described to have halted bank runs at his Savings and Loan in Ogden, Utah in a similar theatric fashion as banker George Bailey in the 1946 Frank Capra film.
The above list is just a portion of the interesting political trivia I have learned this past quarter. Just as my charismatic professor has done in class time and time again, perhaps I have encouraged some of you to expand your fascination in the Secrets of the Temple.
According to the insights and actions of my friends, I've recently learned that this quarter's classes have ended. The sudden upheaval to the spring schedule was discovered in the timely fashion I will now call "Nobody Wants to Play with Me!" Below is a reenactment of today's encounters.
3:49 - I call Friend A to inquire if he's interested in playing basketball at the RPAC.
3:53 - Friend A agrees to meet me around 4:45 and encourages me to round up the usual teammates.
3:58 - I call Friend B to see if he and roommate, Friend C, will join us (as they have in a weekly fashion all quarter).
4:02 - Friend B explains that he and Friend C are traveling home for the holiday and cannot play this week.
4:03 - I use expletives because my point guard won't be playing today.
4:04 - I continue to call Friends D, E, F, G, & H - other usual hoopsters I frequent with - only to find out that ALL of them will be spending the weekend at home.
4:19 - More expletives are used.
4:20 - I hastily search through my cell phone to locate any acquaintances that may be interested in playing basketball in 25 minutes.
4:27 - After a brief Facebook search for cell numbers and AIM contacts, I get a hold of Acquaintances A, B, C, D, E, & F. A few voicemails and "Sorry, I'm driving home" 's later, I realize that it's still only me and Friend A!
4:28 - I call Old Residence Hall Floormate from Freshman Year A with little hope that he may want to relive last year's enthusiasm and play basketball.
4:33 - Old Residence Hall Floormate from Freshman Year A answers my first question with "No, I'm not heading home this weekend."
4:34 - I celebrate (inside my head) because I have just found someone else to play with us!
4:34 - Old Residence Hall Floormate from Freshman Year A answers my second question with "Eh...Not really. I'm done with college now. Dude, classes ended this week. I'm partyin' for the next two weeks straight."
4:35 - I realize that certain people have strange study habits for finals and that this quarter's classes have unofficially ended for some!
4:45 - Friend A and I realize we need to pickup three strangers to help field a team of five.
CONCLUSION: Today, I've discovered that Memorial Day Weekend is the barometer for the typical college student to stop going to class. Whether their week is filled with travel or unwisely playing hookie for the fun of it, students will continue to dwindle as the last week of school pans out. This means I'll have all the legroom I can desire next week!
I PASSED!...I think.
This past Wednesday, I took the first SOA Actuarial Exam (P) for the second time this year. After putting in over 300 study hours only to fail with my first attempt, I discovered different areas of study that I lacked to cover and hammered in on them this time around.
When I completed the test on Wednesday, the computer printout read "Congratulations! A preliminary analysis of your test results shows that you were successful in achieving a passing score."... PRELIMINARY!
The above statement infers that I need to wait at least six weeks before official results are mailed. Until I receive this notification, the only inkling I have is a preliminary passing mark — and that's good enough for me! With a passing score, I will have officially begun my career as a budding actuary. Through sequences of more tests and seminars, I can eventually hone in on a specific career, gain larger responsibilities within my field, and eventually work my way up the pecking order.
Nevertheless, these hopes are merely preliminary as I sit and play the waiting game.
During welcome week of my freshman year, I happened to stumble upon a fun event called Picnic with the Buckeyes which featured a cookout and performance by the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. The energy on the South Oval was electric that day as soul music could be heard from blocks away. My friends and I had a blast singing and dancing the entire night!
Midway through the concert, I looked around at the patrons who made the trek out and saw a variety of faces in the crowd — all donning a childish grin. I figured it couldn't get any better than this... and then I remember that OSU also offers a Big Free Concert during spring quarter. Man, I couldn't wait to attend that!
So, once spring quarter rolled around, my roommate and I made our way to the event. The bands on tap for the day were somewhat attractive, so I figured we should be guaranteed an equally enjoyable experience as the jazz concert had been. I was wrong.
As soon as we approached the South Oval, the skies bellowed and rain soon followed — persisting all day. Although the concert continued, the downpour discouraged even the slightest bit of comfort, retreating us all back inside. I remember thinking that I still have three more Big Free Concerts to attend while at OSU — that made me feel somewhat hopeful for next year.
Enter sophomore year. The Picnic with the Buckeyes was, once again, the highlight of welcome week. Not only did I get to help work the event, I also received a free album of one of the blues singers, Willie Pooch. The ensuing Big Free Concert better live up to its hype this year!
And... for me, it didn't. The concert hasn't happened yet, but I have no aspirations to even attend. Perhaps attractive to many college students these days, carded for the event is a fat slate of rappers and hip-hop artists whom I could care less about (let alone pronounce their names right).
I had hoped for a Big Free Concert that can appeal to everyone — me in particular — and ended up with an ironic music concert that offers no musicians and instead opts for people mumbling obscenities into a microphone as the audience members debate whether they are a pimp or a hoe.
Next year, give us something we all want to attend!
My countdown has begun! Within three weeks, I will have finished my second year at Ohio State once spring quarter comes to a close. Although I'm looking forward to packing up my belongings and leaving Columbus for awhile, I am highly disgusted with the fair-weather etiquette that my fellow Buckeyes have displayed over the past few weeks.
With this being said, I've decided to educate campus with my expert advice. By following the guidelines set forth below, I am assured that you will all have the opportunity to help keep these remaining three weeks the best we've seen on campus. Therefore, keep a keen eye for scapegoats as you examine my recommendations.
(5) Men: If it is warm enough to wear sandals, there's no need for jeans.
ARGUMENT: While sporting flip-flops, when was the last time you've seen a photograph of Jesus sprawled in denim... exactly.
(4) Women: If it is warm enough to wear a skirt, there's no need for boots lined with the skin of a yeti.
ARGUMENT: Call an audible from the guys' playbook and don the latest flip-flop.
(3) Keep It To Yourself: If making a phone call in public, try speaking with your indoor voice no matter where you may be located.
ARGUMENT: I could care less about what happened at your party last night. The person on the other line will hear you whether you scream or not, because their cell phone has the capability to CHANGE VOLUME!
(2) Clean It Up: If you drop something outside, pick it up and throw it away. The ground is not your personal trash receptacle.
ARGUMENT: I'll admit Ohio State does a nice job of keeping the grounds clean. Thus, if you accidentally spill a smoothie (oh... say outside of the RPAC), how about cleaning that up so I don't have to step in it?
(1) Frisbee: Since when did this become Extreme?
ARGUMENT: Don't get me wrong, I love to toss around a Frisbee from time to time — even breaking the casual sweat. But, Extreme? Try talking to me once you've added landmines, piranha pits, and juggling swordsman to the playing field; rather, keep it called Ultimate for the time being.
Unfortunately, you've probably been victim of this list in the past... We all have. Consequently, I encourage you to enforce these regulations upon you and yours for the remainder of our waning days with the intention to help keep Columbus classy!
Today, I realized that my high school friends that attend smaller universities in Ohio have recently finished their final exams and have begun their summer vacations. As I make my usual rounds on facebook, I noticed that they all have plans to go golfing, play wiffleball, visit the local Dairy Queen, and every other strictly summer activity that we have engaged in since we were nine years old. (Those were the days when we would all hop on our bicycles around dawn and wouldn't arrive back at home unless we were hungry, needed money, or someone was injured badly enough where the emergency room was inevitable; and yes, we still try to reenact those days whenever possible — substituting cars for bikes).
But, my friends seemed to be forgetting something... or someone!
How about me? I'm still in Columbus until June 6. And to top it off, I'll only be in my hometown for a few days before I move to Cleveland to begin my summer internship. Internship? When did I grow up? How could I let this happen?
I wonder how many games of wiffleball we can play within four days, or perhaps how many times I can play Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball on Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) with my neighbor until it's time to move. Oh! I do know one thing: I'll be highly upset if rain hampers my golf schedule in those few days!
Still, when I stop to ponder, I do not have much to worry about. First and foremost, I'm a Buckeye, and I wouldn't trade the past two years on campus for the world. The relationships and experiences I have had will be remembered and cherished the rest of my life. Secondly, I'm highly excited to begin work this summer and live on my own in a big city. Although, there's always a part of me that wishes I could be twelve again; I simply know that it's not possible.
Just as NES has gone out of style well before the turn of the new millennium, so has my childhood. Therefore, unless some unforeseen circumstance strands me and my friends at a nearby tee-ball field with a dozen wiffleballs and a plastic bat, it looks as though those days have passed. Besides, you know you've outgrown wiffleball when after each swing you need to fix the dent in the plastic balls.
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