Let's [Don't] Hear Some Chatter!

The most obnoxious fans EVER.

My station gets season tickets to all of Troy University's home sporting events - football, basketball, baseball, etc. My family is a baseball/softball family so when offered tickets for this weekend's games, I jumped on them and we drove up for today's game.

And unfortunately got to sit in close proximity to those lovely people in that photo up there. [I was sneaky-sneaky and snapped this with my phone from a mere few feet away.] They were by far the most obnoxious, immature fans I have ever had to endure at any sporting event, and that includes the freshmen who sneak their alcohol into football games and get hammered.

Every fly ball - Look at the sun! or Drop it!

Every strike called on Troy - What? We need a new ref!

And then there was the random yelling of chicken box! and anything else you may think of. Not to mention the kicking and beating on the back of the bench we were sitting on.

They were so awful even the children in the stands were staring at them.

I believe in cheering on your team, but doing so at the expense of those around you should be frowned upon and in my opinion banned. They throw unruly people out of bars, why not a baseball game?

Punxsutawney Phil Hits the Mark

Spring has indeed sprung in southern Alabama.

80 degrees in February?

I'll take it!

Thanks Punxsutawney Phil!

Life of Me: The Haircut

Earlier this week I decided I needed to get a haircut and had every intention of just getting a trim. You know, a little off the bottom and get my bangs to stop poking me in the eyes.

So the boyfriend and I go to the salon. I put my name on the list and we sit down to wait. While we're waiting, we start looking through books of hair cuts and come across this one.

The boyfriend likes it so I decide to be brave and go for it. After all, it's just hair right?

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about it. I've had my hair pretty short before, but never this short. So when the stylist cut off that first big chunk of hair, I'm sure there was some trepidation in my eyes. But by that point there's no turning back.

So she finishes cutting all my hair off and hands me a mirror to see if I like it.

That's the finished product... only I styled it myself.

Have you guys ever noticed that whenever you get your hair cut and they style it before you leave your hair is huge? I think all stylists have that ingrained in them or something 'cause it never fails.

I always leave looking like one of those dogs getting ready for its debut at the Westminster Dog Show.

Kibbles & Too Many Bits

It's no secret that the U.S. has a problem with obesity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nine states have obesity rates of 30 percent or higher. All nine are concentrated mainly in the southern parts of the country with Mississippi leading the nation with a rate of 34.4%.

The CDC says American society is characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, non-healthy foods and physical inactivity. Basically, we're a society that's gotten a little too fond of fast-food and sitting in front of the television or computer.

Leading health experts postulate that the country's obesity rates have peaked at 34% (Reuters), but a report by Harvard researchers estimates the nation's obesity rate will grow to at least 42%.

To top it all off, MSNBC reports global obesity rates have doubled in the last 30 years.

As if it's not bad enough that people are making themselves fat, now there's a growing obesity problem in our pets!

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention conducted a survey that found more than half of pets are carrying around way too much weight for their paws to handle.

According to that survey, 55 percent of dogs and 53 percent of cats are obese.

Really? This is almost as bad as parents letting their toddlers consume so much food that they become morbidly obese.

It's just as unhealthy for animals to be obese as humans. It leads to many of the same problems, including diabetes, kidney disease and joint problems.

Come on, people. Just because you can't exercise restraint when it comes to your own eating habits doesn't mean you have to over-feed and under-exercise your pets.

Girl Scout Cookie Throw-Down

Is a cookie worth criminal charges?

Apparently Girl Scout cookies are.

In Naples, Fla., 31-year-old Hersha Howard woke up her roommate early this past Sunday morning and accused her of eating her Thin Mints.

The roommates argued verbally until Howard picked up a pair of scissors and began chasing her roommate. Howard then repeatedly hit her roommate with a board and then a sign.

Howard has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

 I, too, understand the allure of the Girl Scout cookie and can't say that I wouldn't resort to violence if I found someone eating my Girl Scout cookies without my consent.

Especially if it were a box of Tagalongs.

Behind the Scenes: The Squawk-Box

So at work we have this speaker that is plugged into the CBS mainframe [yes, the one in New York].

For awhile it didn't work. I'm talking months, and let me assure you that no one in this newsroom missed it's random ramblings about random shots the newspath live feed was currently on or the president disembarking his plane in some remote location.

It's started back working recently. After a truck slammed into a power pole right outside our station, knocking out power for a few seconds short of a minute.

There are lots of different people that talk to us all throughout the day. Each address begins with, "Stations..." no matter which announcer person it is, but I have to say that my personal favorite is the woman who never seems to be sure of what she's announcing.

Every sentence she utters into her end of the system ends in a question mark and is filled with hesitancy. Today's afternoon announcements were no exception...

Squawk-Box: Stations... we're going to... [uncertain pause]

Assistant Sports Editor: Funky Town?!

Girl Talk

J: Do you ever think guys deliberately screw up a task so u will quit asking them for help…I mean I know he isn’t retarded so this must be him out smarting me.

Me: Lol yes

J: U get so pissed u r just like go away and I’ll do it myself.

Me: Yep. pretty much

J: But honestly screwing up requires so much more effort than the original task…I mean come on.

Me: Lol and all they have to do is say no in the first place

J: Or he says I’ll do it tomorrow. So then I go ahead and do it right now myself cuz its easier than reminding him to do it 10 times tomorrow.

Me: Yep, and listen to him bitch about you being annoying lol

J: How do we beat them at this game?

Me: Cry

Post-Valentine's Day Post

At the beginning of this week, we ran a two-part series about people looking for love in non-traditional ways, i.e. the internet.

It seems that the days of traditional boy-meets-girl, boy-takes-girl-on-date, boy-and-girl-fall-in-love relationships are quickly becoming obsolete. And why not? With technology not-so-slowly taking over every other aspect of our lives, why not our relationships as well?

Match.com claims every one-in-five relationships starts on the internet. eHarmony, meanwhile, boasts 20 million users and credits its site with 5% of all new marriages. And there's definitely some truth to that. According Jupiter Research, online dating sites are projected to have made just under $2 billion in profits by 2012.

That's a lot of people shelling out cash or entering their credit card information to find love.

And here's the thing. I get it. I totally do.

As cool as it would be for all of us to be able to tell our kids we met our significant others in a chance encounter somewhere romantic, a lot of us just aren't putting ourselves out there for those kinds of opportunities. It may be because we're super involved in our careers or just because we choose not to.

I, for one, didn't want to meet the love of my life in a bar. Yes, I know it happens, but I wanted to connect with someone over more than just a beer and cocktail. Crazy, I know.

So I became one of those millions of people who turned to the internet to meet people, and I got lucky. I found my soulmate with just a few clicks.

And let's be perfectly honest. Technology is slowly robbing us as a society of our face-to-face communication skills.

More often than not, we choose to hide behind the anonymity of our computer monitors rather than actually talk to a person. That holds true for dating.

The sting of rejection doesn't feel as bad when it's coming from a person you haven't met in person but only talked to via a dating site. Telling someone you don't want to be with them is less likely to cause a scene in an email than it would in the real world.

But for those of us who legitimately don't get out there and need some help, the internet is doing wonders.

It provides a venue for you to unabashedly get to know each other, so that by the time you get to the point where you want to brave a face-to-face encounter like a date you already know each other and there's less awkwardness. You've already established that you click and share interests without running into any of those awkward pauses that so often come up when you're first starting out.

But if it doesn't work out, promise me one thing. Don't be one of those pathetic people who turns to an internet dumping site like idump4u.com to do your dirty work.

When Rivalry Goes Too Far

I'm all about healthy rivalry and competition. It helps us build character, capitalize on our strengths and build up our weaknesses.

But sometimes rivalries run much deeper than a good-natured elbow in the ribs and a "We beat ya this time around." Sometimes winning the competition becomes so important that it gets twisted and eventually turns into hate.

Toomer's Corner has been a gathering place on Auburn University's campus since the late 1800s.

After a win, the students roll the giant oaks with toilet paper.

But soon that tradition will be coming to an end. All because someone so full of hate poured poison around the base of all the trees.

He then called into a radio station to brag about the deed. Soil samples were then taken and analyzed.

The dosage this man administered was lethal and now horticulture experts are working to not only save the beautiful oak trees but also to protect the other trees and plants in the area.

 

This was a horrible act, regardless of which team you cheer for. It's succeeded not only in trodding on school spirit, but it's also destroying a heritage.

And sadly, the sick person who's behind this hideous act is getting just what he wanted: national attention.

Around the World: Chaos in Egypt

CBS News Statement

CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan was brutally attacked in Egypt Friday following President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

Lara was covering the celebration in Tahrir Square for 60 MINUTES. She, her team and their security became surrounded by an out-of-control mob in excess of 200 people.

In the craziness, Lara was separated from the others and became the target of a "brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating."

She was ultimately saved by a group of women and some 20 Egyptian soldiers and reunited with her team, then flown back to the U.S. where she is currently recovering in the hospital.

Mubarak held power in Egypt for three decades on the pretense of a state of emergency. He contends that state of emergency stems from maintaining peace with Israel while allowing Muslim militants reside within the country.

Just from an outsider's perspective, the fact that the people revolted and basically ousted Mubarak from power (he officially stepped down last week) doesn't bode well for a future leader.

I had a conversation with a close friend about this situation last week, and while I know we probably don't have all the answers I sometimes wish the people in power thought the way we sometimes do.

Scholars we're not, but we both agree that this temporary reprieve isn't going to fix the country's problems. The people know what they want, but no leader can give everyone what they want all the time. The Egyptian people have gotten a taste of power, and if history tells us anything it's that the more power people get... the more they want.

All we can do is hope that they can see the progress they want isn't going to come as fast as the results of 18 days of protest.

New Horizons

I was talking with a friend a few days ago. She graduated a semester ahead of me because I decided to add onto my degree, yet I found a job in our shared career field within a few months while she landed her first job after I did and has since had 4 different job titles.

I'm pretty confident, however, that if you asked my friend if she regrets any of the decisions that's led her down this seemingly inconclusive path, she would answer you with an emphatic no. She doesn't need anyone to tell her that she's destined for great things and just hasn't found her niche yet, although many people including myself have done just that.

In our conversation, she said she wants to do something that's never been done.

That got me to thinking, aren't we all that way? Sure, many of us end up in jobs that have been done many times over, but should we let that stop us from striving to reach new horizons?

Should it matter to us how many great people came before us? Or should we learn to focus on our talents and what we can do from within a seemingly tried-and-true profession to add a new spark of life to it?

Why should doing something that's never been done always mean creating a new career? Why can't we do something that's never been done within an existing career?

Why should we try to fit into our careers instead of fitting our careers to ourselves?

 Finding your niche doesn't mean fitting yourself into a ready-made mold. Finding your niche is about discovering who you are as a person and how you can apply that knowledge to your chosen field to make it better... something that my friend is striving to do.

The world is changing all around us. Technology is constantly being upgraded, especially in the field of journalism, and people expect the media to shift and flow with the changes. We're constantly on the threshold of new horizons. We find ourselves caught in the ebb and flow of change...

The future is ours for the taking. We just have to know how to grab on with both hands and shape it into the molds we want to fill instead of going back to the same old thing time and time again.

Life of Me: Midget Encounters

This was too... bizarre not to share.

The boyfriend comes to pick me up from work to take me to a nice dinner at the neighborhood DQ.

We go in, order a crispy and grilled chicken sandwich respectively, fix our drinks and sit down. After we eat, we decide that we want desert, which can only mean one thing at the DQ. ICE CREAM!!!

So we get up and walk to the counter, where there are 3 people placing an order. Two of them are normal-sized men, while the third could pass as a rather puffy child. He was, in fact, a midget, standing at just about waist high on me and nearly as round as he was tall.

The two normal size guys go find a table. The boyfriend and I stand together waiting for the child-person to finish doing whatever it is he's doing.

[In order to properly set up this next part, I must describe the boyfriend to you guys.

6'5-6'6 give or take a couple inches.

4th level black belt in Karate.

a.k.a. a big dude]

The child-person walks in front of us and he totally checks me out. It was obvious because he had to kinda crane his neck to do the full up-and-down move that guys like to do. And to top it off, he nods and smiles at me in approval!

I just stare at him, open-mouthed in shock. The boyfriend, meanwhile, is also in shock.

Did he just check you out right in front of me?! -BF

I think he did. -Me

Then the child-person comes back and tries to strike up a conversation!

This dude had some serious guts.

I should also probably point out that this was my first ever interaction with a person of this nature. Based on this experience, I'm not sure I want to have any more.

I Want You Back

Some seven years ago, Ken and Barbie broke up, shocking the world. Now, Ken wants to get back together and he's mounted a nationwide campaign to win Barbie's heart back over.

Billboards like this one have popped up all over the country with Ken professing his love. Both he and Barbie have been posting messages to Facebook and Twitter hinting at a possible reunion, but everything is still up in the air.

They actually want your help making the decision. All you have to do is go to barbieandken.com and cast your vote.

 I was a typical little girl growing up. My Barbie collection was (and still is) massive. I had the house, the Grand Jeep Cherokee, two horses, the camping gear and all the Disney collectibles.

I played with my Barbies all the way through middle school, and I have to admit there have been times when I've wanted to go up into the attic of my parents' house and drag them all out and set up camp in the middle of the living room. (Of course I don't because I'm a grown-up.)

So do I think Ken and Barbie should try to make things work? Well, seven years is a long time but theirs is a relationship that signifies so much to young girls, and even to us 20-somethings and even those 30-somethings out there. Sure they're just dolls, but at one time the Ken-Barbie relationship represented what every girl wanted, and wouldn't it be great if they patched things up and returned to that coveted status?

I think so.

Social Awkwardness

Want to know what's wrong with society today?

Well, my boyfriend had an epiphany this weekend.

"They're too busy trying to figure out how to sue somebody."

And there you have it.

I Want to be Carrie Bradshaw

I've been watching Sex and the City a lot recently. It's a fun show that reminds me of my friends, minus the whole living in New York thing. In the middle of the mini-marathon I was caught up in last weekend I realized something.

I want to be Carrie Bradshaw.

I've always aspired to be a successful journalist and Carrie's career in the show is what most of my childhood dreams looked like, minus the relationship drama.

You have to admit, it would be awesome to have her job - a weekly column about sex/relationships/human existence/whatever. Especially if I got to live the way she does - nice apartment, designer clothes and the shoes (I would kill for her shoes!).

I kind of stumbled into the career I'm in now. It's not what I dreamed of doing way back when. And while I do enjoy what I do, sometimes I feel as if I've strayed away from myself.

So although I'm following a career path I never thought I'd stumble upon, I'm always on the lookout for that fork in the road... the one that will steer me closer to the kind of journalist I always wanted to be, the one that will unlock my inner Carrie Bradshaw and maybe one day fill my closet with just a portion of her amazing shoes.