Thursday August, 27th

Hello Readers,
First I must acknowledge the loss of one of the greatest US Senators of all time and the last member of the great triumvirate of America's most influential political family, Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy represented the fiery, compassionate, and honorable qualities that most of us can only hope to one day have. His bipartisanship and his dedication to causes that he so dearly believed in were characteristics of his job and of his life that all US Senators should strive to embody. As a citizen of Massachusetts, an American, and someone who has always admired the values and the drive of the Kennedy family, I am deeply saddened at this loss. Ted, thank you for your service and you will be missed.

The first week of classes at USC is done and despite rigorous hours, sweltering heat, spastic girls on bicycles and one heck of a class about logic and time travel, I have survived (almost) unscathed. I DID manage to get my bike (locked) stolen out of my apartment building (also locked) courtyard before I could even go to one class. That was a nice welcome to the neighborhood. But with the start of classes comes the unavoidable interactions with all sorts of characters, proof of the diversity that a large university provides. Which brings us to today's Daily Topic: THAT KID



I have compiled a short list of "those kids" who will pop up without fail in almost every one of your classes. Although it may be slightly stereotypical, it is surprisingly accurate and are based on actual students in my classes.

First, there's the overly-motivated, overachiever. This person probably spent their summer mastering their third language, working in an Indian orphanage, has color-coded notes and an overly highlighted textbook. They jump at the chance to answer any question (even the rhetorical ones) and haven't missed a professor's office hours ever. The balance their time between an unpaid internship for a nonprofit organization, a volunteer position at a nearby school, two honor societies and an environmental club. Sit as far away as possible.

Next, there's the international student who you always wonder how they possibly learn anything given their seemingly limited grasp on the English language. Although these students are remarkably intelligent, they seem to struggle immensely to answer any question strictly on a grammatical and vocabulary basis. It's hard enough for me to understand what the professors are saying, who knows how they do it.

Third, there's the kid from the Asian fraternity. Sporting at least two Chinese character tattoos, spiked hair and a tank top, this too-cool-for-school kid spends all class looking at websites of sports cars. Outside of class, he can be found at the gym or riding around campus on his BMX bike.

Fourth, there is the actor. This kid's parents pay $50,000 a year for his theater degree. All he brings to class is an oversize Moleskine, and his absurdly large sunglasses, which he wears throughout the entire class while scribbling down his every thought, presumably to adapt into a mediocre screenplay later in life. Generally sporting a white v-neck t-shirt and one of those beanies, he sits in the back and makes sarcastic remarks every once and a while. Teachers loathe him.

Fifth, there is the athlete. Even though I know several intelligent athletes, there are some that are as dumb as rocks. ALWAYS wearing athletic department-issued sweats, they carry one notebook, take no notes, yet due to vast study files, answer keys and complimentary tutoring, they manage to pull off surprisingly decent grades. Either going to or coming from practice or the weight room, these athletes manage to squeeze in time for class, yet a chosen few will make several times the amount of money that most of us will ever make.

Lastly, there is the pompous intellectual who has made it his daily goal to stump the professor. Asking the most obscure questions imaginable, this kid usually has a beard and, although extremely intelligent, is utterly intolerable. Whether they are questioning the professor about whether Newton considered the movement of water molecules in his "bucket theory" and definition of absolute motion, or the last four leaders of Uganda, they won't stop until they have left the professor without an answer. For the rest of the class they will sit smugly, ignoring the looks of disgust from everyone else in the classroom

-ROF

Daily Food: Honey Bunches of Oats

Daily Activity: I have a job now

Daily Song: This Must Be The Place - Miles Fisher

Daily Attire: SAE Fall Rush Shirt (It's Like Those Shirts From The Team That Didn't Win The Super Bowl)

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Russia and Ukraine in Intensifying Standoff

Daily News No One Should Care About: Pot Found in Jackson's Bedroom

Daily Life Goal: Get a New Bike

Daily Complaint: 9 AM Internship

Daily Drink: Water

Daily Television: MSNBC's "The Kennedy Brothers"

Sunday August 23rd

Avast,

Well readers, the summer has come to a close. Tomorrow, college students across the land will shoulder up their back packs and sleepily drag their feet to their morning classes. I, however, given my rigorous schedule of two days of class per week, will not. What shenanigans shall tomorrow hold? Only time will tell. But although I, as are we all, am weary to begin classes, being back at school for the past week and half has proven a relaxing experience.

But being back at college also means leaving the warm comfort of home where all necessities and luxuries are close within reach and returning to a life of scrimping, saving, scavengering and sometimes, improvising. As a poor college student, I sometimes don't have the pleasure of having a tool for every job. How I have survived the last week without a power mixer, a circular saw, a candle-extinguisher, a magic duster and a lawn mower, I will never know. But the beauty of such a situation is that it spurs the spirit of improvisation that lies deep within every college student. And that's why today's Daily Topic is: IMPROVISATIONS FOR LIFE IN COLLEGE



I have compiled a short list of several basic household items that can easily serve two or more purposes for a college student in need. And they are:

1. Ever feel the need to wash that spot right in the middle of your back? A handy toilet brush can easily double as a back scrubber in your shower, and you don't have to walk that far to get it!

2. Chef's knife as a straight razor. Razor blades are expensive. Save your money for things that matter. Like beer. Perfect your straight razor technique on you and then charge your roommates for a hot shave.

3. Toilet paper as a notebook. Don't have time to pick up a notebook for class? Bring a roll of toilet paper and give yourself a never ending scroll to take notes on. Jack Kerouac wrote "On the Road" on hundreds of sheets of paper taped together. Same principle. Just remember not to mix up your rolls before your midterms.

4. A bath towel makes a great bed sheet. Sure, they are a bit shorter than the average human but who actually sleeps lying down perfectly straight? Curl up under your towel and you're set to jump in the shower as soon as you wake up.

5. House cleaners are expensive. If you want to clean up after a party, find one of the many nice people who live on the streets and offer him all of your cans from the night before in exchange for a bit of cleaning. Be sure to let him know he is welcome to finish what's left in all of them.

6. You can never have too many cups. In fact, cups are really all you need. Do you know what you can't eat out of a cup? Nothing. Scrambled eggs, pasta, chips and bagel bites (the staples of any college campus) can all be easily eaten from cups. Skip the plates and bowls and even silverware. Just fill up a cup and drink away.

7. Save on your cell phone bills by rigging an elaborate tin can phone system between your room and the rooms around you. Also, master Morse code to cut down on your amount of text messages.

8. Finally, food is just so expensive. Do you know how many Pabst Blue Ribbons it takes to get your daily 2000 calories? 13. How perfect is that math? It's also perfect as a substitute for milk in your cereal.

-ROF

Daily Food: Subway

Daily Activity: Swimming

Daily Song: Spinning Compass - Langhorne Slim

Daily Attire: Theta Hat

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Asia's Recovery Highlights China's Ascendency

Daily News No One Should Care About: Miley Cyrus Spotted "Full-On Making Out"

Daily Life Goal: Take Impeccable Notes, Maintain a 4.0 Average While Working Out Every Day and All That Other Beginning of the School Year Nonsense

Daily Complaint: The Red Sox

Daily Drink: Efujon Energy Drink

Daily Television: Entourage

Daily Movie: Who Killed the Electric Car?

Daily Book: Spectrum of Terror - R. Hrair Dekmejian

Tuesday August 18th

Readers,
Sincerest of apologies for my week-long hiatus from the Daily Routine. I was in the process of transporting myself and just over 100 pounds of my possessions across the country and moving into a new apartment. After four days, three, thirty-mile treks to Ikea and a very productive Costco run, the new room has taken shape. And I can now consider myself an expert in the assembly of flat-packed furniture and space management. But while exploring the blue and gold Swedish home goods paradise is entertaining, there is work to be done on the Daily Routine. So without further ado, here is today's Daily Topic: COLLEGE TOURS



While the coming academic year approaches for most college students, a vastly more ominous year is ahead for most high school seniors. Over the next few months they must choose, examine, research, visit and apply to college.

And there is perhaps no better way (at least that you can remember) to get a feel for a college than the traditional tour around the campus. And while applying to a school is difficult and stressful, so is being a tour guide. They are challenged with the task of remembering and reciting hundreds of facts, answering tough questions from over-protective mothers, and doing it all while walking backwards.

But some schools have decided that this might just be asking too much from their students. Several colleges and universities have attempted to overhaul their tours, requiring less knowledge of dates and history and, of course, having their guides walk forwards.

A recent New York Times article highlighted Hendrix College in Arkansas as one of the schools that has attempted such a restructuring of its program. Senior Katie Rice admitted that she had no idea when the school was founded. "I just tell my groups it was a long time ago [1876]." And then there is that whole pesky walking-in-reverse business. "Look at these shoes. They are very basic sandals. I fall just walking forwards."

Now, call me old-fashioned, but if I operated a university, I might select ambassadors to represent the school that had at least some general knowledge and were capable of performing simple everyday tasks such as, say, walking. And what if the tour guide isn't able to tell me exactly how many blue-light emergency phones are on the campus and their exact locations?

Unacceptable.

And what will happen when the tour guide can't make an introductory ice-breaking joke about falling backwards over any number of objects on the campus? Tours will be condemned to forward marches of awkward silence, only exacerbated by the fact that you won't be able to hear anything a forward-walking tour guide will say.

So, prospective students, don't be fooled by the shallow ploys of these colleges to appear "hip" and "more friendly." Demand the best and don't settle for a school where the tour guide isn't able to tell you the exact number of volumes in the library, or the total tonnage of the weights in the gym, or do it while walking backwards in a perfectly straight line. You're better than that.
-ROF

Daily Food: http://cookingwithandre.blogspot.com

Daily Activity: Blogging

Daily Song: Invisible Touch - Genesis

Daily Attire: Nantucket Tank Top

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Iran Says it is Ready For Nuclear Talks

Daily News No One Should Care About: Brett Farve Ending Retirement (Again)

Daily Life Goal: Eat, Sleep

Daily Complaint: No One Else Lives Here Yet

Daily Drink: André

Daily Television: Weeds

Daily Movie: American Psycho

Daily Book: Spectrum of Terror - R. Hrair Dekmejian

Monday August 10th

Readers,
My birthday has arrived and ushered in a new decade of my life: my 20s. This both excites and worries me. It excites me because it seems that older people always reflect on their 20s as the best time of their lives. It worries me that I only have 10 years to make the most of it. But no matter what, I can walk around with just a touch bit more of entitlement knowing that my age begins with a 2 rather than a 1. Exciting things lay ahead this next decade. Legal drinking, renting a car, marriage, being elected the youngest Congressman in United States history, are just a few things that come to mind. I love birthdays, especially mine. But being the cynic that I am, I am choosing to profile the one and only aspect of birthdays that I do not enjoy. Which bring us to our Daily Topic: HAPPY BIRTHDAY



When I say Happy Birthday, I am referring to what the Guinness Book of World Records claims to be the most famous song in the world. The song, written by two Kentucky sisters, both kindergarten teachers, originally as "Good Morning to You," was copyrighted in 1935 and the Birth Tree Group Limited was formed solely to protect and enforce the song's copyrighted status. Now I had known at one point that the song was copyrighted, but seeing it credited recently in a movie made me do some research and some thinking. In 1998, Time-Warner purchased the rights to the Birthday Song for $25 million and it is estimated that the song brings in about $2 million in royalties. This six note, six word song makes $2 million a YEAR. First, I am not sure whether to be appalled or utterly impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit of the song. Second, I have decided it's the former. Third, can you really say that the song is copyrightable if 1/7 of the words in the song change each time it is sung? I vote no. Lastly, I have decided that I am rather looking forward to my 41st birthday in 2030 when the copyright on Happy Birthday runs out and I can finally be rightfully sung a true and proper birthday song at a restaurant without any legality issues whatsoever.
20
-ROF

Daily Food: Birthday Cake

Daily Activity: Celebrating, clearly

Daily Song: The Birthday Song

Daily Attire: Birthday Suit

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: It's My 20th Birthday

Daily News No One Should Care About: It's Aly Bullock's Half Birthday

Daily Life Goal: Have Marylin Monroe Sing Me Happy Birthday

Daily Complaint: 365 Long, Long Days

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Television: Entourage

Daily Book: Woodstock Revisited - Susan Reynolds

Friday August 7th

Hello Readers,
This is a very short TDR update but it was just too good to pass up. Stay tuned for a longer post later today or tomorrow. However, I stumbled upon this video from a town hall meeting on health care in Florida. After several hundred people were turned away at the door due to fire codes, the attendees became raucous and unruly. Several scuffles broke out and the police were called in to maintain order. Many of them, protesting health care reform, said they were spurred into action by conservative radio show host and Fox News commentator Glenn Beck. Check out the video below and especially note the old guy around 4:00 minutes who attempts to take the door down with his cane. Clearly he has been reading The Daily Routine and picked up some Cane-Fu tactics.
-ROF

Monday August 3rd

Hello Readers,
The birthday countdown is at 7/372 days. Groovy. Normally this summer I have struggled to find TDR-worthy stories, events and topics but today was quite different. There was the encouragingly high close of the financial markets. There was Plaxico Burress who, after shooting himself in the leg, was indicted on criminal possesion of a firearm and reckless endangerment and faces up to 15 years in prison. As if accidentally shooting yourself wasn't bad enough. But there was one story so outrageous and utterly unbelievable that it trumped all others today. And that brings us to today's Daily Topic: UNEMPLOYABLE GRADUATE SUES COLLEGE



In an incomprehensible move, Monroe College graduate Trina Thompson is suing her alma mater for the cost of her tuition because she has been unable to find a job since her graduation. The more I read, the more angry I got. Ms. Thompson filed suit for $70,000, the cost of her tuition, and $2000 for the stress that her three-month job search has caused her. She alleges that the job-placement office of Monroe College did not try hard enough to find her a career and that they favor students with a 4.0 gpa rather than her 2.7. Ms. Thompson believes that any REASONABLE employee would jump at the opportunity to hire a graduate with her GPA and "solid attendance record." She also encourages other graduates to file lawsuits against their respective colleges because the fact that a four-year graduate can't find a career in three months during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, "doesn't make any sense." No, Ms. Thompson, what doesn't make sense is why you are wasting your time filing a frivolous lawsuit and not still looking for a job. Across the country, tens of thousands of graduates and undergraduates have struggled to find jobs, including your faithful writer. But since you are resorting to legal action, why don't you also consider some of the following. First, you should sue your corner store for not selling you the winning lottery ticket and absolving you from the stress and pain of a job search. Next, you should sue all of the people hired to fill the jobs that you applied for because they are smarter and more qualified than you. Then you should sue the United States government for enacting policies which led to the economic downturn. Don't forget to file suit against your high, middle and elementary schools for not providing you with enough education to get into a better college or at least to do better in the one you attended. Then you should sue Santa Clause for not bringing you a pony when you were 10, even though you claim that the Macy's Santa Clause's promise to deliver one constitutes a verbal contract. Finally, you should sue yourself for being a complete and utter imbecile and for relying on someone else to find you a job. All I have left to say is, watch out USC, because if I don't come out in 2011 with a six figure salary in my first month, I'm coming after you for all that you have.
-ROF

Daily Food: Pasta with Feta and Sauteed Garlic

Daily Activity: Lawsuits

Daily Song: Octopus' Garden - The Beatles

Daily Attire: Hawaiian Legends Tank

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Investment Banking Buoys HSBC and Barclays Profit

Daily News No One Should Care About: College Grad Can't Find Job, Wants $$$ Back

Daily Life Goal: Find Trina Thompson and Talk Some Sense Into Her

Daily Complaint: No Wind

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Television: Shark Week

Daily Book: Profiles in Courage by John F. Kenedy

Sunday August 2nd

After a midsummer break, the Daily Routine is back. I am home from the scenic New England paradise that is Cape Cod and have returned to the comfort of an internet-accessible home. And now that it is the month of August, I feel it is acceptable to begin a countdown until my 20th birthday: 8 days (or more importantly 373). Stay tuned and get your shopping done. Anyhow, over the past week I have been watching the FINA Swimming World Championships. And while I have done so, I have had this Daily Topic in mind for some time: THE YEAR THAT SWIMMING WASN'T SWIMMING.



Last August, the swimming world reached an all time high with Michael Phelps' 8-gold medal performance. With his historic performance at the Beijing Olympics, Phelps brought swimming into the limelight and gave it significant recognition in the United States and around the world. Since then however, swimming has suffered from one of the most controversial and arguably disgraceful repercussions technology. Before the Beijing Olympics, there was much press coverage of the revolutionary Speedo LZR suit worn by many of the athletes. The LZR introduced the latest in suit technology with a lightweight fabric, bonded, not woven, seams, and significantly less drag. But after the Olympics, Speedo's rivals scrambled to design a suit that could be even faster. The results have proved tumultuous, controversial, and even detrimental to the sport of swimming. In early 2009, Italian suitmaker Jaked and France's Arena introduced new suits that made a splash (no pun intended) in the swimming world. These suits, made fully from polyurethane, give the wearer a profound advantage in buoyancy and are essentially impervious to water. The Speedo LZR is a textile suit with polyurethane panels but is less than 50% polyurethane. The fully polyurethane suits, the Arena X-Glide and the Jaked suit, have, in the minds of many, transformed and denegrated the sport of swimming. At the recent FINA World Swimming Championships, close to 45 world record marks were lowered from their previous marks. Perhaps the most shocking was China's Lin Zhang (wearing a Jaked suit) shattering famed distance swimmer Grant Hackett's 800 meter freestyle record, which had stood for five years, by six seconds, a vast amount in a swimming race.
As world records fell left and right, there was a stronger and stronger outcry from the swimming community for action to be taken. FINA, the international governing body of swimming, had talked of banning the suit, either in January or in April of next year. Amidst the falling world records, a few swimmers, including Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte refused to wear the new suits. When FINA talks began to lean towards an April/May ban, Phelps' coach Bob Bowman threatened to pull him out of any international competitions until the suit was banned. Three of Phelps' world records were broken at the World Championships, two by swimmers in the new suits. Germany's Paul Biedermann, who both beat Phelps in the 200 freestyle and broke his world record, openly admitted that the suit gave him an advantage and hoped that they were banned in the future so that he could challege Phelps on a more even playing field. FINA announced yesterday that a ban will be in effect January 1st of 2010. But the damage is done. World records have been broken by swimmers that, likely, will never be able to swim that fast again. The names of the swimming elite, like Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe, have been practically erased from the swimming record board. Some have proposed that these records be asterisked or even seperately recorded. However, it is now difficult to record, especially at lower levels of swimming, who was and was not wearing a polyurethane suit. This year, the year that swimming wasn't swimming, has caused irreparable damage to the sport that will take several years to undo. In my mind, this year should be regarded largely a fluke and the 2010 Olympic trials and London Olympics will be the true tests for swimming. Hopefully the sport will be able to regain its credibility and swimming's true champions will be recognized.
-ROF

Daily Food: Batter Blaster

Daily Activity: Lounging

Daily Song: This Must Be The Place - Talking Heads

Daily Attire: Boxers

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Phelps Grabs Record in 100 Butterfly

Daily News No One Should Care About: Endeavour Returns to Earth

Daily Life Goal: Buy a Jaked Suit and Break a World Record Before January 1st

Daily Complaint: Polyurethane Suits

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Television: FINA Swimming World Championships, X Games

Daily Book: Profiles in Courage by John F. Kenedy