Yes if there was no winter we wouldn't have a pleasant spring however I still get tired of dealing with the cold every year. It seems to suck the pep out of everything. I like snowboarding and ice fishing and doing all sorts of winter activities but it couldn't take any longer for spring to get here seriously. It would be nice to not have to go through winter a couple times but I have a feeling that I would get sick of the same old thing like everyday. That climate would be alright for a little while but I think sweating and being hot all the time would wear out its welcome in like two or three years. With winter I almost beg to go on a nice vacation which helps finish the end of the school year which is always nice.

When I was younger my favorite food was tacos I think. Now my favorite food is anything mexican. So over the years they have pretty much stayed the same. My tastes haven't changed much and I'm not completely sure why that is. It could be that my parents always made me try different foods so when I was young I was exposed to many different types of food and managed to like some aquired tasting foods. However it could be that I always tried to be as much like an adult as possible so I could've just eaten the same food and after a while I started to like it. Either way I still like mexican food.

A time when my opinion really mattered was when I was picking which college I wanted to go to. When I was touring the different schools it was up to me to find a school that seemed comfortable and just seemed right. We went to 5 different school and Mankato seemed like the right school as soon as we got here. At the same time I wanted a nice school I was also making sure that it was a credible school especially for my major. I didn't want to show up to school and find out later it was the worst possible choice I could have made. When I looked online and found that my intuition was genuine about MSU-Mankato I was very happy. A very important time when my opinion really mattered was picking a college.

Well I can't read the screen but I do remember yesterday watching for the Minnesota Vikings to pick up T.J. Houshmandzadeh from the bengals but sources said in the middle of the night he had decided to fly home to Los Angeles to discuss where he would go with his family. After waiting an extra 12 hours to hear a response from T.J. he finally had been spotted in a Seattle airport. So the rumors were confirmed that he had decided to stay with Seattle. He told reporters that he wanted to be close to his house in LA and Seattle is just a very short plane ride away. He also liked the thought of Matt Hasselbeck throwing passes to him. During his short visit there he was very impressed with their facilities as well. I just don't understand why he would pick a 4-12 team over a championship caliber team. It doesn't matter if your catching 100 balls on a terrible team.

I really hate how it gets to be like 50 degrees in January just to tease us enough to want spring and then right after it will go back to -10. I wonder why it always has to do that? Why does it have to be relatively nice just to make us wonder if we really dislike winter. The worst part is when it gets warm and melts all the snow so it's cold out but there isn't any snow. If its going to be cold I want it to be snowy and cold and if it's going to melt the snow then I want it to warm up. I'm so ready for a spring break or a trip to somewhere warm. I want to be able to go swim in salt water and walk in shorts and worry about sun burns again. Even though I love snowboarding I would still rather be somewhere warm/tropical.

I read a book that was titled EARL. It's a biography of a man better known as DMX. It changes my perspective on tough lives. Earl Simmons was born and raised in Younkers New York which could be top ten for worst neighborhoods. Add to a poor surrounding that his Dad wasn't around and his mom was a crack cocaine addict and that makes for a very interesting and tough upbringing. I found it interesting that the book spent a while talking about how his life was going down hill because of anger issues and poor school work and crime. In one of the altercations Earl got into, he actually ended up getting his jaw broken and had his jaws wired shut for 6 weeks. In another phase of his life got into stealing cars and during one day him and his friends ended up stealing a car from each other probably a half a dozen times without knowing it. Through all of his tough times and bad surroundings he ended up working hard and getting a contract to rap.

A book that changed my life for the better is called EARL. It is an autobiography of the rapper Earl Simmons aka DMX. The whole time the book described how he worked hard and was dedicated to getting out of poverty. When times were absolutely terrible for him he would go find stray dogs in the inner city and provide food and protection for them. It was his way of getting away. The book also had parts where he wouldn't be doing anything that was good but somehow mistake or not he always came through on top. Eventually through hard work he wrote songs and they were released and he ended up making it big time. He is now a multi-platinum recording artist. When I first read EARL I was given the message to work harder because my life was nowhere near as hard as DMX's life. If he made it then I could as well.

It is now Tuesday Feb. 3rd I really didn't want to get up this morning. I had homework in a few of my other classes and unfortunately didn't get enough sleep. However it all goes back to this weekend. I went home to watch the Super Bowl and be around friends and family. Since I was busy and with my friends I didn't get much school work done or much sleep at all. When the game was finally over I packed my stuff and drove 2 hours back to Mankato. I didn't get back until almost midnight and I got a ticket on the way. After I finished my homework and put my stuff away it was way to late for me to be going to bed. I'm a little behind on sleep as most people could probably tell.

My biggest pet peeve would be when people text. I cannot stand texting, I believe that if you can't call the person to talk to them, then you shouldn't be texting. When you are trying to have a discussion with someone or trying to hang out and they cut you of for a text really bugs me. I get mad when they can't go 30 seconds without a text. I much rather talk in person and if I can't then I'd rather give the person a call. I do whatever I can to stop the texts without making the person mad. When they are around me or if we are doing something I ask them to not text or keep it to a minimum because it really bugs me. For the most part people listen. My girlfriend is the only one who argues that it's not that annoying and that she needs her phone but in the end I'll just take it for the time that I'm there.

This weekend I plan on going home to see my family and some of my friends from high school. I have a house in Ham Lake so it is just about a 2 hour drive home. I have a few things that I want to get done this weekend that include my stereo and studying. I will be leaving MSU on Friday at 3P.M. and I hope to be home at 5 P.M. On Friday I will either stay at home with my family or have one of my friends come over for a while just to hang around. On Saturday I'm going to watch my girlfriend dance at sections and afterwards we are going to plan our spring break vacation. On Sunday I have a few little things to fix on my stereo in my car so I'm going to my brothers house. After I get everything fixed I'm having a bunch of people at my house to watch the Super Bowl. When the game is done I'll have to return to MSU for school on Monday.

This semester I expected to have a schedule that is a lot harder than last semester. I have 18 credits for the semester. However, in this class I expect to learn to write better and more comfortable. I can in not enjoying writing and hopefully that will change by the end of this class. I also want to become a more fluent reader. I know in the past I've enjoyed reading and I've been good I was just a little slow. I expect the teacher to help me along the way. I want him to help when it's needed but know when not to. I also expect a fair semester in terms of grading. I know I've set my own goals very high for this semester. I want to have grades that are significantly better than last semester which won't be easy. With 18 credits I'm going to need to study my butt off. In English 101 I will do my part to become a better writer, reader, and student. If I do the little things right and do my part outside of class i should be successful.

My name is Andrew Osterheim. I am from Ham Lake Minnesota. I played Football, Lacrosse, Soccer,I lifted weights, and I Snowboarded all through High School. I have many interests including the sports I played, speaker systems, computers, and any outdoor activity. I dream about having the opportunity to snowboard in Colorado, the Alps, New Zealand or somewhere amazing like that. I like the feeling of being in charge or by myself which is why I enjoy being outside and snowboarding. Myself and my brother are avid fishermen and hunters. Where it is ice fishing, duck hunting, or ocean flats fishing we love it all. We both enjoy computers and sound systems as well. I have a fascination with sound systems and why some are so much better than others. I am here at MSU to study Mechanical Engineering. I someday hope to use my degree to work in a field of my interest.