tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37565105275997407162012-02-16T09:22:48.144-05:00Completely Untrue Personal StoriesDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-33429149153231349202012-01-30T00:13:00.000-05:002012-01-30T00:13:04.196-05:00

"Mama, are we near Disneyland yet?" "Remember, Trevor, that I told you Disneyland would have to wait till another time?" "They have a pirate cave ride where things explode!  It's real fire and everything.""Wild World has rides too.  Lots of them." "But they don't have pirates, do they?" Trevor asked this in the dejected tone of a boy who already knew the answer. "No, I don't think

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-59291103797753959232011-11-21T23:55:00.001-05:002011-11-22T01:14:17.560-05:00

PING. "I swear..." PING. "...he's been spending more time..." PING. "...with that video game than with me." PING. The lean young woman finished up her round in the softball batting cage.  She dropped the bat and wiped her brow.  The behemoth brick student gym beside the batting cage blocked the setting sun, but the air was still warm. "And I don't understand.  It's not like I don't

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-68528573300864347622011-09-17T18:26:00.000-04:002011-12-05T22:10:52.713-05:00

A version of this story placed 3rd in the 2011 ArtsRolla Writing Competition. The faded red Honda skidded through a rolling right turn. In the passenger seat, Sara Brookings squeezed tighter on the upholstery. She would usually get on her Dad's case about coasting through a stop sign.  Today, though, she was grateful to have a reckless driving father. Dave Brookings flicked his eyes

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-48366455968159735282011-08-31T23:33:00.163-04:002011-09-01T15:18:55.810-04:00

Most people assume that the best part of The Real World fiasco was my newfound notoriety.  Yes, the fifteen minutes of fame was fun, but my most satisfying takeaway is knowing that I can survive that intense drop in temperature.  That whatever physical hardship comes at me now, it can not possibly be colder than atop that windmill. And then I fall overboard into Puget Sound. Instantly soaked

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-6755648214542152732011-07-27T14:43:00.012-04:002011-07-29T13:39:58.617-04:00

A smattering of dark birds hovered over the Clipper.  Persephone Evelyn Bumbaugh pointed at one."Is that a...?""Red tailed hawk.""No, no.  Right there.""That's an American Bald Eagle.  Their populations are slowly recovering in the San Juans.""Wowww..!"Her eyes followed it from one end of the ship to the other.  She caught the pilots up in the bridge smiling at her.  She returned a wave and a

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-64188782015073690662011-07-10T23:15:00.005-04:002011-07-10T23:26:43.503-04:00

Persephone Evelyn Bumbaugh stepped off the dogsled onto Pike Street."Who says dogsledding is animal cruelty?  Look at their faces - they had a blast!"The musher noted her faux fur-lined hood."Hope you did too.  You make a beautiful dandelion!"Persephone snapped off her hood.  Her puff of golden curls breathed to life.  He corrected himself: "Okay, now you look like a dandelion."Dogsledding was

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0University of Washington, 407 Gerberding Hall, Seattle, WA 98195-0001, USA47.6603511525734 -122.3127762252960347.6525021525734 -122.32993822529603 47.6682001525734 -122.29561422529603tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-1540877626778971392011-04-26T02:15:00.003-04:002011-07-05T16:01:40.479-04:00

"Bloody rabbits!"The Queen threw down another handful of mangled geraniums."Pests are to be expected, my darling.  This isn't Osborne House.  The Dominion is still a place of wild animals, especially the island.""Oh Albert, you have a steady voice of reason for such a busybody.  What if I told you the gazebo is sinking into the reflecting pool due to gopher tunnels?"Albert whipped his head

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0Saanich, BC, Canada48.466060542986334 -123.3096460277710148.40376454298633 -123.41772452777101 48.52835654298634 -123.201567527771tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-74452661555961043682011-02-17T01:43:00.001-05:002011-02-17T01:44:47.848-05:00

13 Feb 2010.  UBC is the first international entry into College Cups.  Though it's more of a tip-toe, as Vancouver can't be more than 20 clicks from the border.  UBC's city centre campus is located at Robson Square, which was home to constant street performances celebrating the Winter Olympics.  For two weeks, the student bookstore put in double duty as the downtown box office.  Where else can

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-8923246874119578232010-12-17T23:10:00.003-05:002010-12-17T23:54:02.397-05:00

16 Nov 2009.  Look at this pirate.  It is the most subdued pirate I have seen.  He's not grinning or scowling or yelling or keelhauling.  A logo more fitting for beachside condos or an investment firm. Pirate Annuities.  Mutiny your financial fears. "Uncle Dan?  What are you doing down here from New York?"Uncle Dan looked around as he approached the cashier's desk.  He peered at the various

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-77788426342370452202010-10-21T23:25:00.010-04:002010-12-18T00:10:18.827-05:00

16 Nov 2009. The recognizable image and ubiquity of the deer in the U.S. make it popular on seals and coats of arms. But it is rarely a sports mascot despite its speed, strength, and knives on its head. A pro basketball team has taken 'Bucks' and Fairfield is trying hard with 'Stags' though even that sounds a bit shady. Limited, wussy synonyms are holding the deer back. Yet on the feline

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-70650224280377743342010-08-30T13:54:00.007-04:002011-11-22T01:29:09.246-05:00

16 Nov 2009. Whoa! Caught in the lunch rush of a normal school day! Youthful pedestrians everywhere! Now this is the buzz, the pulse, the lifeblood, the soul, the spirit, the energy, the sacred heart of a campus."Hello?""Trevor?""Hello, Ishmael.""Trevor! How's the priesthood!! Any hot nuns?""Ah, it's hard to tell. With the robes and all.""Say hi to the hot nuns for me when you figure it

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-84048889996719357342010-08-26T12:01:00.009-04:002010-09-08T02:46:16.661-04:00

NoBowls.com is letting me help out with an FBS/FCS college football "let it ride" contest. There isn't much online in way of I-AA contests, so I'm excited about it.Finally...a college football pick'em for FCS fans!The folks at NoBowls.com – The FCS Bracketology Website – are hosting a FREE College Football “Let It Ride" Contest. Pick one team from each conference, FBS and FCS (including

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-34895888421290414792010-08-15T22:43:00.012-04:002010-12-17T19:59:02.032-05:00

16 Nov 2009. In my road atlas, Montana, our fourth largest state, takes up two pages. But so does Connecticut, our third smallest. So while the page of Bozeman to the border may take most of a day, blazing through the Connecticut centerfold barely takes two hours. Two hours, ideally. If only the state weren't chock full of universities, including the alma mater of George Bush I, Jodie Foster,

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-28849240518547149712010-07-21T11:51:00.003-04:002010-07-21T11:56:10.486-04:00

Over a month ago (one month already??), Mexico said ‘kiss my aztec’ to all the haters, beat hosts South Africa, and bleu out the cocky French. Even Bafana Bafana would springbok from a loss to Uruguay to beat the French. Coached by that pampas windbag Maradona, Argentina turned a potentially messi situation into a dominating first place finish in Group B. The Greeks scored their first ever

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-43198539213642023512010-07-08T20:21:00.010-04:002010-12-17T19:59:31.470-05:00

16 Nov 2009. Quinnipiac! Small New England college par excellence!Hiding behind Mt. Carmel and the Sleeping Giant, one student center, one quad from which you can see the whole campus in a Maria von Trapp twirl*, and one security guard checking his watch and eying my overstuffed German-designed, Mexican-built car with suspicion as I blatantly disregarded the 10 Minute Visitor Parking sign.Ken

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-34948893209653627162010-06-07T09:00:00.009-04:002010-06-09T14:45:17.738-04:00

13 Nov 2009. Does that horse's eye look right to you? It's kind of rolling back in its head. Is this out of pleasure, fear, pain, sarcasm, hallucinogens - what is it?? I'll stay on my high horse and won't accept that it's just bad art.THE PRESIDENT REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE AT CITY HALL LAWRENCEVILLE NEW JERSEY SATURDAY NINE A.M. ~ STOP ~ TO BE FOLLOWED BY A PUBLIC APPEARANCE ~ STOP ~ R.S.V.P.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-45411536708610428072010-05-31T09:00:00.007-04:002010-12-17T19:59:02.034-05:00

13 Nov 2009. You know how every campus has that one 'centerpiece' building? The building designed by a famous architect, or resembles a Gothic cathedral, or is cut from expensive rock? The picture postcard, bulk mail brochure, website banner building?Every building on Princeton's campus is like that.Technically, Rider was added to the collection an hour or so before Princeton, but it fits the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-35593982188684516962010-04-14T22:12:00.003-04:002010-04-14T22:17:00.999-04:00

College Cup Project will be temporarily suspended to make time for quiz show preparations.Theodore Roosevelt, Persephone, Brookings, The Surfin' Mennonites, Pope Urban, Trevor and Ish, Otter, Jethro the Bulldog, Mario the Dragon, and Lewis & Clark will return shortly.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-17215744041385228032010-02-22T09:00:00.004-05:002010-12-17T19:56:57.537-05:00

13 Nov 2009. Schools like La Salle make me glad I switched the focus of this blog from campus description to fakelore. This religious university - I'm thinking Jesuit? - on the outskirts of Philly was tough to find and tougher to find interesting. Yes, there were unique touches like the 12-foot medieval wooden doors leading to the bookstore, and the serene grotto pictured below. And love

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-69631262347760768182010-02-15T09:00:00.005-05:002010-12-17T19:59:02.036-05:00

13 Nov 2009. The first Ivy League entrant. Looking to go classy, I was aiming for a cocktail/martini glass, intending to save the wine goblets for the Napa schools, such as UC Davis and...hmm...just UC Davis then. Penn had a nice bookstore stocked with beanbag Quaker men but no martini glassware. The university seal is etched on the glass I'm telling you. Why won't you believe me??Next door

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-43260754537294642782010-02-08T09:00:00.001-05:002010-12-17T19:56:57.539-05:00

13 Nov 2009. I feel bloated just remembering all the pink and orange road signs along the PhilBo corridor. So many Dunkin' Donuts, so little tolerance for half a dozen jam filled crullers."This is my dream!"I take a sniff."My dream smells like feet.""Oh, you get used to it." Angela assures me. She's the head of gameday staff at the Palestra, our big-game court in downtown Philly.Our regular

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-70962036031304809142010-02-01T09:00:00.010-05:002010-02-11T22:28:38.892-05:00

7 Aug 2009. Purdue is perfectly innocuous, like Canada or bread. (Who could hate Canada or bread? asks Matt Harding at the 5 minute mark.) So, of course, no better place for some mild kleptomania and sociopathy.In an office in now-deserted Lilly Hall, where academic flyers fluttered along the tile floor, Otter looked at Professor J.B. Lee. The Professor was looking down, explaining his

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-18001830355078987722010-01-25T09:00:00.002-05:002010-06-06T01:01:14.712-04:00

6 Aug 2009. Madison is no quaint farm town. They have a rush hour all their own. And downtown construction. And marauding hippies. I guess I kinda drove mostly around campus, through many one-way streets. I don't even know if I visited the official UW store, there were several in a row in that whole State and Lake area."The men need shaving swag bags, sir!""Send in the badgers."The term '

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-88536712116119847812010-01-18T09:00:00.005-05:002010-12-18T00:32:16.747-05:00

6 Aug 2009. Campus was deserted but I got to see the Unidome and two healthy young ladies checking me out. Checking my merchandise out, that is. Ostentatious purple plastic yards on clearance for two dollars?? In Cedar Falls, a jaw falls. Jethro trudged through the wet gravel, the cool water between his paws the only relief from the unfiltered country sun. The water from the Black Hawk

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-61406188718760023962010-01-11T09:00:00.014-05:002010-12-18T00:54:17.509-05:00

6 Aug 2009. 'A Snack In The Face' was closed, so I settled on breakfast at their next door neighbor. Angie's Kitchen was decorated with old timey knickknacks and ads, including a questionable pro-coal bulletin. Across the street in the ISU bookstore, there were no 'spinning bird logo' gifts, only things like a hammer with the blocky 'I STATE' on the head. ISU fans who approve of this new

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-33114451484246678342010-01-04T09:00:00.009-05:002010-06-06T01:04:24.005-04:00

5 Aug 2009. Word problem time! If you are in Brookings and the University Bookstore in Vermillion closes in two hours, can you make it? Answer: Yes, but only if the stragglers from USD student orientation day are still shopping, thus keeping the doors open past closing time.The bookstore cashier, the Oprah Winfrey show, and now the College Cup Project all recommend the fresh bread from Jones

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-63928197472116457712009-12-28T09:00:00.015-05:002010-03-29T00:12:58.594-04:00

5 Aug 2009. "I need something with a bunny on it!" Ahh, I left satisfied. SDSU's logo wasn't bad before (a ripoff of Bugs Bunny) but it wasn't great either. The running rabbit is one of the best upgrades around. Royal blue and gold dust. Great nickname, great colors, great design. A credit to the Lagomorph order.It was raining cats and dogs. And rabbits."It's locked!""You don't have keys

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-1055348425468898962009-12-21T09:00:00.017-05:002010-06-09T15:16:21.384-04:00

5 Aug 2009. Everything about Fargo was welcoming. No menacing skyscrapers. No grumpy people. No Steve Buscemi."Burger's up!"A slim man in a shirt, tie, and apron, grabbed the oval plate and walked with urgency to table 31."I apologize for the delay, sir. I caught one of the chefs putting your bison burger in the microwave. That is not the level of food quality that we here at The Prairie

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-34720656658688781552009-12-14T09:00:00.012-05:002010-06-09T15:24:52.678-04:00

4 Aug 2009. Wheat Montana was a great recommendation by the ladies at the MSU bookstore. Like Panera but with corrugated metal instead of pastel overstuffed easy chairs."Those falls weren't that great.""The real Great Falls is a few miles downstream. But there have been so many dams built on the Missouri that the falls today are only a fraction of the spectacle that Lewis & Clark encountered

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-8442122853534482162009-12-07T09:00:00.014-05:002010-04-10T13:59:01.154-04:00

27 Jul 2009. Montana, a majestic state and majestic campus with a majestic mascot, required a majestic souvenir. I had to splurge a little bit, but for now the Grizzly Growler (fine, it's a stein) is the crown jewel of the collection."Hello, Singapore!"Persephone Evelyn Bumbaugh lifted off her sleeping mask and noise-canceling headphones. She felt refreshed and energized; hundreds of business

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-35017180755742168562009-11-30T09:00:00.002-05:002009-12-13T00:48:04.557-05:00

26 Jun 2009. Laramie was a surprise. The only Division 1 institution in the Equality State boasts a fine collection of stone, wood, and iron architecture, all in the school's brown and gold colors. License plates, commemorative quarters, football-punted pint glasses - the bronc buster icon is everywhere in Wyoming! What would Wyoming be without cowboys?A helluva lot less interesting, I can

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-22706347733791110962009-11-23T09:00:00.012-05:002010-06-10T03:02:47.774-04:00

25 Jun 2009. Second floor: Textbooks. Okay, the usual. Ground floor: Healthy selection of basic printed gifts, cups, shirts, pens, caps and other hatware. Impressive range of designs Basement: SWEET MERCY! WAVES OF LOGO EFFLUVIA! This is where the Nebraska lifers shop. Furniture, jewelry, formal wear (human and canine), golf clubs, appliances, tents, Manchester, ping pong and billiards

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-62799949166286366642009-11-16T09:00:00.007-05:002009-11-25T13:23:01.653-05:00

25 Jun 2009. Omaha was much more cityfied than I ever imagined. I also didn't know Creighton was a religious school - probably Jesuit. All their products had unimpressive designs; I wanted a blue jay.Creighton Fight Song (Alternate Version)Creighton, Creighton!We love Creighton!Blue and white we're celebratin'Always strong, no hesitatin'Won't go down without a fight!Creighton, Creighton!We

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-60372666999913053392009-11-09T09:00:00.009-05:002010-12-18T00:38:23.978-05:00

24 Jun 2009. The closest College Cups has had to a chase scene was in Des Moines, Iowa. I left Iowa, Iowa, at 4:00 PM. The Drake bookstore was set to close at 5:30 PM. Could I make 119 miles in 90 minutes?? I mentally calculated that my average speed would have to be in the 75 mph range. If I went for it and made it, I could get the cup and log some after-dinner miles before setting up

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-30945063678942686292009-11-02T09:00:00.013-05:002010-12-18T00:41:38.831-05:00

24 Jun 2009. There should be more merchandise trailers dotting America's campuses. Something about making a credit card transaction out of doors makes one feel...primal. Excuse me while I hunt some fierce wild corn. "Jesus is a lot like a surfboard." Blank stares. This is the moment Peter diScala quickly learns, talking surfing to Iowans is like talking bobsled to Jamaicans. Even for a

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-64744286592759309162009-10-26T09:00:00.006-04:002010-02-08T18:14:45.388-05:00

24 Jun 2009. Look at that glass, freckled with dogs.My memory of li'l DeKalb is unfairly clouded by the most awful traffic I have ever experienced, coming in and out of Chicago. Construction, unfamiliar territory, driving an unfamiliar vehicle, darkness, an ill-timed full bladder, and speeding (DePaul?) demons all contributed their part. All that was missing was a midwest ice storm. Running

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-18181987519647766292009-10-19T09:00:00.008-04:002010-02-08T18:14:45.390-05:00

23 Jun 2009. Frostburg, WVU, RobbyMo, and Kent State all in one day! Wait, another visit to Kent State? Why on earth would I go out of my way again? Thank a lost water bottle, originally purchased 21 Nov 2007. Which ultimately I am okay with - look at that gaudy yellow eyesore. Replaced with a centennial shotglass.Before she was into her studies, before she was into her health, before she

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-987421964447567092009-10-12T09:00:00.004-04:002010-02-08T18:15:43.912-05:00

23 Jun 2009. If campuses were animals, RMU would be a basset hound. The Saddest Place on Earth! Sure it was empty due to summer break, but despite beautiful weather, the few employees and summer students milling around looked like they were headed to their own funeral, catered with pretzel rods and tonic water. Even the full retail price of the cup, 99 cents (slightly over 3 cents an ounce

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-57492833395593699382009-10-05T09:00:00.009-04:002010-02-05T22:52:59.311-05:00

23 Jun 2009. WVU had long been on my list. And after many cold walk ups ending at locked doors, I wised up and started gathering bookstores' phone numbers and business hours. Even with detailed directions from a nice homegrown front desk lady, I got lost. I visited the downtown campus and got lost trying to get there, stumbled into the bookstore's parking garage out of dumb luck, and got lost

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-32541878304889962732009-09-28T09:00:00.004-04:002009-10-02T00:21:06.567-04:00

23 Jun 2009. In a perfect world, June at Frostburg would be filled with players, staff, and media for the Washington Redskins training camp. But a hometown feel is not a good fit (that is: not optimally profitable) for big business, which is what the NFL has become. So don't blame owner Dan Snyder - if it wasn't him, it would have been someone else.Anyway, FSU is sparsely inhabited by

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-68994123825519597592009-09-21T09:00:00.007-04:002010-01-22T10:05:17.006-05:00

10 Apr 2009. The Berkeley of the East. So that nickname turns a lot of people off, fine. How about Lovely Country Home of Antiqueing and Cracker Barrel Bingo Tournaments? Better now? Give hippies a chance. And don't pass up a chance to visit the Biltmore. But I'm no architecture fan...I'm a dip fan. The Biltmore produces the tastiest bacon dip you will ever spill on your cravat."You

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-201303401786219592009-09-14T09:00:00.011-04:002011-11-22T01:01:53.524-05:00

21 Feb 2009. AU was a baffling ordeal to get to. At least compared to the schools where you pull off the interstate and BOOM there it is. Drive to the metro then shuttle then walk. Their quad reminded me of UIC's and construction had me walking in circles and cutting through brunches to find their bookstore. Nothing with the new slick AU logo on it, sad."And that is why dolphins regularly

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-13366050410598891192009-09-07T09:00:00.013-04:002011-11-22T01:24:23.550-05:00

18 Nov 2008. Quietly integrated and hidden within the city lies the home of the UDC Firebirds, near the headquarters of charitable playground builders KaBoom!, do-it-yourself pottery shop All Fired Up, and salsariffic Uptown Tavern. They like to make buildings out of concrete on this campus.Trevor and Ish, UDC students and interns at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, had heroism in

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-33752805828391250502009-08-31T09:00:00.004-04:002010-02-02T00:04:51.521-05:00

25 Oct 2008. Nice looking glass here. Villanova's classy V logo, classy script, classy glass with the craggy punt to keep it interesting. (Saw this same style with the Vancouver Olympic logo in a petrol station in Alberta, so not as unique as I had hoped.) If only they weren't the generic 'wildcats' their athletic identity would be top notch.Persephone, DDS, MBA (born Persephone Evelyn

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-57602562991868580472009-08-24T09:00:00.010-04:002010-12-17T19:58:31.421-05:00

25 Oct 2008. A new feature on the CCP is campus photos. There is one for Drexel below but in a few weeks they will start showing up regularly beginning with UNC Asheville. Getty Images will still act as stand-in when my photos turn out blurry and useless, which happens quite often!"What do you want?""I want to sing - ""You sing beautifully!"" - without causing destruction!"Maria shut up. No

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-33435475052191577882009-08-17T09:00:00.007-04:002009-09-08T17:51:17.459-04:00

12 Sep 2008. A walk through this religious-founded school - most likely Jesuit - yielded a rock gray tumbler. May be used to tumble rocks, if that's how you get your jollies. No demons were spotted anywhere. :(Admiral George shouted through his mustache."Ahoy! Yates!""Ahoy! Healy!""Ahoy! Maguire!"Now granted permission, the three young men in gray jerseys and short pants jogged onto the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-60469600740013668322009-08-10T09:00:00.011-04:002010-12-17T23:28:25.979-05:00

7 Aug 2008. Northwestern is another brilliantly planned and beautifully arranged campus, crowding the coast of Lake Michigan. Where did the purple wildcat mascot come from? It's hard to say, but I'd like to think it had something to do with a cornbreadus-interruptus safari on the Chicago River. Young Theodore Roosevelt was riding the rails of the Union Pacific from his fledgling ranch in

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-74256731792914893772009-08-03T09:00:00.001-04:002010-02-08T18:13:38.111-05:00

25 June 2008. Found at an off-campus store. The glass is thin and fragile like those Blue Moon pilsners you find at corporate bars. Don't know how it came home on the plane intact.-A good Jesuit would never go on a service trip and make a jackass of himself.-A noble Jesuit would never insist on getting drunk to incapacitation while on such a trip.-A mature Jesuit would never throw a tantrum

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-35408846616420607372009-07-27T09:00:00.007-04:002010-02-08T18:30:41.368-05:00

Wow! This post marks the one year anniversary of the College Cup Project online! At first, one post per week seemed to give me plenty of time to stay ahead of the curve. But around #40 I realized I had better pick up the pace or I'll run out before I've barely gotten started. Fortunately two huge road trips in the summer of 2009 replenished the supply.21 May 2008. Entry #53 brings us

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-79237923998281152932009-07-20T09:00:00.002-04:002010-12-17T19:56:21.105-05:00

17 May 2008. Is UMBC in Baltimore? Catonsville? Linthicum? BWI Airport? Maybe they're not so sure either, and decided to represent the entire county (but not the city, heavens no). Their logo will surely be getting an update soon like their fellow suburban rival, Towson. But until then, let's enjoy the hopelessly low-rent design of the slack-jawed water dog.Dogpile Bingo is a popular game

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-57542308844193561322009-07-13T09:00:00.006-04:002011-04-26T02:43:52.756-04:00

7 Mar 2008. When in Arcata, do as the granola-eating, hemp-growing, earth-massaging Lumberjack fans do, and get a California Springs reusable water bottle.The Humboldt Bodtle and the Towson Tumbler get daily usage, while the rest of the cup collection holds my dust collection.Alexander von Humboldt: Mr. Darwin, the days grow weary.Charles Darwin: I, too, feel the nostalgia of adventures past

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-41586217147238075752009-07-06T09:00:00.010-04:002010-12-17T19:59:57.456-05:00

11 Feb 2008. I am as regular-looking as the next fella, but just walking through campus on a school day I got looks like I was an aboriginal with full war paint and roo spears at the ready. Not used to non-students voluntarily wandering into their land I suppose.This traffic report brought to you by the Hansons on River Street. The Hansons are holding a yard sale this Saturday morning. Need

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-5673679476829645492009-06-29T09:00:00.003-04:002010-02-08T18:14:45.392-05:00

26 Nov 2007. A tinted shotglass, that's a first. Procured on one of Toledo's many rainy days.“By Sixtus, I won’t allow this ill-gotten Eden to happen now! And, of all places, certainly not in Ohio!”TJ was finishing off his travel plaza Orange Julius as Pope Urban psyched the two of them up. Of course, Pope Urban needed no psyching up himself, for if one can’t muster some energy for the coming

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-41308518297550539422009-06-22T09:00:00.008-04:002009-11-24T13:44:54.024-05:00

19 Oct 2007. The ultimate buyer's remorse here. Acquired a tumbler so bland, yet Notre Dame's bookstore puts so many to shame, in terms of store design, square footage, and merchandise selection. A classy dark green shotglass with 'Irish' in gold script, was the one that got away, my drinkware 'missed connection'.Pope Urban Beatz LXIX landed flat on his back, disoriented. Only rarely did he

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-45990583630658327912009-06-15T09:00:00.009-04:002010-12-17T19:59:57.458-05:00

27 Sep 2007. From the tiny campus bookstore. An indoor track runs right in front of its entrance.Some people use sarcasm to make jokes or poke fun. Others use it with hateful intentions. But the vast majority who employ sarcasm, and its self-absorbed cousin irony, have no idea of the vast cultural history and impacts of these two uniquely human ideas. Royal Bristlermartin and Peter diScala

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-86657293927576951722009-06-08T09:00:00.006-04:002010-12-17T19:56:38.496-05:00

7 Sep 2007. From the Comcast Center volleyball concession stand, filled with a Sprite-flavored beverage (may have been Sprite).The University of Maryland mascot was named when President Theodore Roosevelt would ride full speed on his gelding, Chrysanthemum, up and down the streets of northeast Washington, D.C. Though he was simply giving tours to visiting dignitaries the quickest way he knew

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-85172157502629058692009-06-01T09:00:00.008-04:002010-12-17T19:56:38.498-05:00

1 Sep 2007. Big ol' tumbler from Kenan Stadium.The state of North Carolina got its nickname when Queen Caroline, visiting the American continent, stepped in a pile of oxen manure. Since the epithet "ox s*** heeled" did not roll off the tongue and was also quite vulgar, the euphemism "tar heeled" was how Caroline described her dreadful visit. The colonists decided to take back the insult and

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-90991614973704525822009-05-25T09:00:00.002-04:002009-06-03T12:42:00.146-04:00

2 Aug 2007. Runnin' Utes? Da heck is that all about? Let's turn to My Cousin Vinny for explanation..."Is it possible the two utes...""Eh, two what? What was that word?""What word?""Two what?""What?""Did you say utes?""Yeah, two utes.""What is a ute??""Oh excuse me, your honor. Two youths."So Joe Pesci gives you your answer. Utah's mascot is a couple of New York roughs. The feather in the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-78198415256984080782009-05-18T09:00:00.007-04:002010-02-08T18:21:46.898-05:00

10 Nov 1812. John Paul Jones was caught naval gazing."Admiral, what are your orders?""Excuse me?""Your orders for the second fleet. Are they ready sir?""Oh, yes, coxswain. Communicate our need for additional rations and supplies. We must be prepared to sail at 0400 and engage at 0600."Admiral John Paul Jones, Jr. of the young United States Navy was aboard the first fleet watching his

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-40861701268654372652009-05-11T09:00:00.008-04:002009-05-19T19:18:54.092-04:00

18 Mar 2007. Petersen Events Center, you aren't fooling anyone. You're the Panthers' basketball arena who occasionally hosts graduations and visiting former stars of The Real World! Love and accept who you are! This was a spur-of-the-moment trip to Pitt to see a first round women's NCAA tournament game. Mmmmm, a thirty two ounce serving of Sprite-flavored beverage hit the spot. The day trip

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-67105912450627834652009-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:002011-07-05T16:05:17.954-04:00

6 Mar 2007. The parking lot surrounding UNLV's bookstore was filled with the dust of construction. Its basic style betrays what usually goes inside: forty dollar shots of Johnny Walker Blue or Cristal, depending on the time of day. This is one of the few campus stores where I cannot remember a single thing about the inside, so let's just say the cup came from the "Runnin' Rebels Spirit Wear"

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-38359529289923365222009-04-27T09:00:00.001-04:002010-02-08T18:07:56.366-05:00

January 2007. Ooh, Texas! Not quite the stereotype where droves of cattle wearing ten-gallon hats work on oil rigs. I mean, a few were but they were probably just humoring the tourists. SMU is a religious affiliated school - most likely Jesuit - in a little enclave of Dallas called University Park, within view of downtown's intimidating highways and skyscrapers. I wanted mustang gear and I

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-71766102044454578732009-04-20T23:49:00.000-04:002009-04-27T23:53:28.592-04:00

January 2007. The TCU area of Fort Worth was much greener than I ever imagined it would be. Large stately lawns in front of every hall, marble steps leading to their entrances, a kind of UVA feel. The bookstore was gutted for renovations, leaving a raggedy trailer as its stand-in. The low ceiling threatened visiting basketball recruits to this religious affiliated - probably Jesuit - school. This

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-60405781821531845612009-04-13T13:00:00.002-04:002010-12-17T20:01:02.215-05:00

January 2007. Pistol Pete, who stole your weaponry? Pity the rugged rancher who is limited to a short range, if ultimately more useful, length of rope! Oh, what's this? They were under a haystack of pro-cartoon-firearm complaints the whole time! Well then, back to business as usual.When NMSU brought their logo into the 21st century, they also took away their mascot's pair of six shooters.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-15636529362621783792009-04-06T13:40:00.006-04:002010-12-17T19:55:44.608-05:00

Jan 2007. It was a brilliant bright day in Tucson, not to be confused with Towson and certainly not with Duck Son (duck to duck lecture pictured below). I like this mini-pilsner, don't you? 'Twould make a good size for a kid's beer. Bud Light Jr., I can't believe they haven't pulled this out of their bag of tricks yet. Wait till they get desperate (what, you mean more desperate than to sell

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-87644151500432917832009-03-30T12:16:00.003-04:002009-04-12T17:40:41.803-04:00

29 Dec 2006. Liberty is in Lynchburg in what may be fairly termed the middle of nowhere, Virginia. But for the middle of nowhere it has about thirty-seven colleges and universities, maybe more by the time you read this. And for the M.O.N. it's hard to get around. It is even difficult just to drive straight through and not end up headed toward Appomattox Court House. Nothing wrong with the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-75519285616349817372009-03-23T15:25:00.001-04:002010-02-08T18:13:38.113-05:00

25 Nov 2006. Another football away game. Youngstown, Ohio, is not the abject hellhole that biased observers or athletic opponents make it out to be. It could use help though being part of the rust belt in a struggling economy. The shotglass is tiered to make it fun to hold but has nothing to indicate it has one of the oddest mascots in all of college sports: the penguin. Youngstown is not

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-48779954706676714142009-03-16T15:11:00.001-04:002009-04-12T17:44:26.439-04:00

9 Sept 2006. Our football team was making a trip down to Boone, North Carolina. It was about a six hour car ride. Well, it was supposed to be, but it ended up being a six hour bus ride. Unfortunately my two tripmates bailed and I had to scramble to find a way down to what was sure to be a classic gridiron battle. Fortunately I quickly learned of a student bus trip that had one seat left.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-68013818229329088132009-03-09T21:11:00.002-04:002009-07-14T12:29:13.063-04:00

25 Aug 2006. Perhaps this is not news to all you world weary travelers out there, but Flagstaff Arizona is not like the rest of the state. I knew NAU's mascot was the lumberjacks but that did not make any sense to me. Were the saguaros so large and numerous that an entire industry was dedicated to felling them? No, not at all. No saguaros. Only skinny alpine trees. And rain, lots of rain!

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-35932786813628057282009-03-02T15:40:00.001-05:002009-03-06T16:00:52.447-05:00

25 Aug 2006. This is where the CCP starts to get interesting. It takes on a tinge of adventure, for the what in the name of the Hogwaller Ramblers am I doing in New Mexico? (There's a New Mexico now?) The good folks in Albuquerque can try all they might to show off their fine town as a real city with real city services like libraries and aquariums, but we all know their state is basically

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-33181605840010470552009-02-23T18:37:00.003-05:002010-12-17T20:00:18.109-05:00

22 Aug 2006. Third time's a charm. Nashville, Tenn., is the first large city we pass when undergoing a cross-country road trip. Having a brother attending university in southern California facilitates multiple such journeys along I-40. First time it was a weekend or a night, store was closed. Second time was a late afternoon, store had just closed. There were still employees and slowpoke

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-73738869298837679502009-02-16T11:06:00.001-05:002011-07-05T16:05:17.957-04:00

1 July 2006. Here's another to add to life's big list of regrets: not visited The Varsity and gotten high-grade indigestion! Hey, sometimes it's not the food but the atmosphere. The Georgia Institute of Technology is integrated nicely into downtown Atlanta, something that Georgia State is rightfully trying to achieve as well. Their bookstore is one of those 'licensed' stores. You will find

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-2282696800877143762009-02-09T21:02:00.001-05:002010-12-17T19:58:31.423-05:00

1 July 2006. I had heard awful things about this campus. Strictly a commuter school, no school spirit or atmosphere, sports coverage is lost in the Atlanta metromix. Perhaps GSU administration is listening to those cries - they are building and building and building. They are launching a football team, creating new on-campus housing by the barrelful, upgrading their sports conference from

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-65760964086986580402009-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:002009-02-04T10:11:09.724-05:00

3 June 2006. It has been half a year since the last item was added to the CCP. This entry takes me to a state I had never visited before. It was summer break so there was an awkward stillness about the beautiful campus that abuts the Mississippi, but whose pedestrian bridges are flooded with nasty flies at night. Even the turn of the century grain mills look hip and retro. After returning

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-80323513998572279912009-01-26T15:06:00.001-05:002009-06-04T00:44:39.168-04:00

10 Dec 2005. This stadium cup, whose holographic images are irrepresentable here, was picked up in the Cox Arena during a men's basketball game between SDSU Aztecs (great nickname by the way) and Washington State. I did not stay to see the conclusion as it quickly dawned on me how uninteresting a game can be if I am not playing in it, have no rooting interest, or have no money riding on it.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-36351352478754738192009-01-19T15:00:00.001-05:002010-02-08T18:30:41.370-05:00

10 Dec 2005. The USD Toreros have a great athletic logo. In fact it is my favorite of all time. I entered the bookstore with sky high expectations. Poor decision. There were no cups, pens, blankets, notepads, hats, lip balm, belt buckles, commemorative ketchup bottles, or shoehorns with the multi-blued spectral bullfighter. The cups were all quite bland and believe it or not this big

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-49356601208812840882009-01-12T14:46:00.006-05:002010-12-17T19:58:16.059-05:00

9 Dec 2005. UCSD's campus in La Jolla, a northern swanky suburb of San Diego, is one of the most beautiful campuses I have seen. This is without having seen the crazy Dr. Seuss library, pictured below, which makes up the school's logo and is rumored to house studious pod people. Oddly enough I have seen another online list that has UCSD in its bottom 10! What a completely incorrect and

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-36259436511881732212009-01-05T14:55:00.004-05:002010-12-17T19:55:44.611-05:00

9 Dec 2005. This visit to pick up an insulated travel mug was preceded by another visit the same day as USC. But in early 2004 I chose an XXL UCLA women's water polo national champions tee shirt instead of something I could drink out of. The shirt had long since been donated to Goodwill once the novelty wore off (and what will become of these dozens of cups and glasses once their novelty wears

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-39095833649018982008-12-29T11:34:00.005-05:002011-07-05T16:05:17.960-04:00

1 Dec 2005. The closest 'big time' university to my home, it is surprising it turned up this late in the CCP. This cup later made an appearance in the short film Uphoria, which was pitched to the Travel Channel who ultimately declined it. The catchphrase that all the kids are using, "There was a bar on campus. That's right - a bar!!" came out of this taping! New posts will appear on Mondays

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-12035824332763709632008-12-21T08:52:00.006-05:002010-12-17T19:58:31.427-05:00

5 Nov 2005. Yon colonial ales doth best be served in chill-ed tumblers! The logo on the cup in the photo is no longer the official athletic logo. The NCAA served W&M, along with many other schools, an ultimatum requiring the end of such offensive imagery to Native American peoples or else be banned from hosting postseason competitions. The original intent of the rule, to eliminate hurtful or

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-32327137190071346902008-12-14T14:17:00.007-05:002010-12-17T19:58:31.429-05:00

5 Nov 2005. Richmond gets a bad rap sometimes, and so does VCU by association, due to street crime. But they've done better recently and VCU has improved their campus as well. Nothing too noteworthy here, whether it be the bookstore, campus, ram-less cup design, or backstory. So here's a fictionalized summary of what happened:Out of the muck of the James River crawled a man-beast. This

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-46134654048878121652008-12-07T11:37:00.008-05:002010-02-08T18:13:38.115-05:00

3 Sept 2005. What a delight the UIC bookstore was. Two-storied, with entrances on both ends and a shared open wall to the student center. There was ample space to merchandise a wide array of goods and still have enough elbow room for comfortable navigation. It is an urban campus, but unlike DePaul, it is contained in its own little area of Chicago, east of the Loop. It's a short walk from

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-74153109858691899912008-11-30T21:55:00.006-05:002008-12-07T11:47:29.261-05:00

3 Sept 2005. DePaul is right off an El train stop in upper Chicago. DePaul blends in nicely with the urban setting, not trying too hard to stand out, knowing that Chitown is a huge place without a long enough attention span to stop and observe. Small bookstore for a huge campus. Again, acknowledging that a bevy of locally owned campus supply shops would pop up no matter how much retail square

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-16257649600674985482008-11-23T14:16:00.008-05:002010-12-17T20:01:02.218-05:00

1 July 2005. Never having seen a volcano or a volcanic island, I was stunned at the sight of the vegetated Hawai'ian mountains jutting out of the horizon. They are the green version of the crags in the western U.S., but because of their igneous properties, they form much more vertically and fill most of your vision. Volcanic soil is very fertile and there is an abundance of plant life that

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2 April 2005. Southern California entices you to live there with its sunny moderate climate. Southern California dares you to live there with earthquakes, wildfires, high cost of living, horrendous motorcar traffic and the accompanying smog. This day happened to be disaster-free, and after utilizing the thinly-stretched public bus system, I arrived at Long Beach State, or simply, "The Beach"

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-91935000193224276492008-11-09T16:59:00.006-05:002010-12-17T19:58:31.431-05:00

There is no specific date for the JMU entry as I have collected a few along the years. Only a handful are shown in this photo here. There are two generic giant tumblers that fit in with the rest, a couple of pilsners that reveal the Duke Dog's face at the bottom of the glass when you finish your Dominion root beer, a glass bottle filled with purple and gold candies, a bulldoggin' reusable

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-81017901466630751422008-11-02T12:27:00.004-05:002011-07-05T16:05:17.964-04:00

27 Nov 2004. Goodman Stadium in eastern Pennsylvania was filling up as the first round of the Division I-AA football playoffs approached. The expansive grass lots were receiving the ant trails of tailgating vehicles, their passengers layered up in anticipation of a chilly few hours. No longer the Engineers, Mountain Hawk fans could shop for rebranded souvenirs at a temporary canvas tent

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-46981444681118058062008-10-26T12:15:00.010-04:002010-12-17T19:58:31.433-05:00

15 Nov 2004. "The Dub" lies on a flat, sandy, pine-stippled expanse on the east side of the port town of Wilmington. Their seahawk logo needs work, they need cash, and they belong to an indifferent athletic conference (the CAA's feeling may be fueled by Dub lacking that big money sport, American football). But a school cannot buy the priceless beach location - and the beach bodies - that make

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-59364391929070716402008-10-19T11:24:00.004-04:002010-12-17T19:58:31.434-05:00

6 Nov 2004. Hempstead, Long Island, New York. In between Kennedy Airport and Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill lies Hofstra, home of the...Pride. Hey, let's upgrade the sweetness of the Flying Dutchmen moniker for an improvement I hope?! No, just some big hairy cohabitating cats. But back in 2004 the nickname was still in limbo and there was not much of a logo to speak of. This nondescript

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-74240435459987927712008-10-12T21:02:00.004-04:002010-12-17T19:56:38.501-05:00

12 Oct 2004. Rae Ri! Ol' VPI! Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi! The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is located in Blacksburg in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, whose autumn vistas will long remain in your memory. Cassell Colisum, home to their basketball and volleyball teams, has steep concrete arches that would provide a good venue for Spider-Men- and traceurs-in-training. If my

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-17653500292330531142008-10-05T16:29:00.006-04:002011-07-05T16:05:17.968-04:00

1 Oct 2004. I only had a half-hour to find TU's bookstore, race in, quickly peruse the selection and make a purchase, and race back to the Towson Center before we faced off against the Tigers! I made it there just as they were closing. The staff allowed me in and I found a hardy little cup, the bubble-filled plastic giving your flat Fresca an appearance of new life. Thankfully, Towson had

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-10027897279629764252008-09-28T20:17:00.003-04:002011-07-27T15:09:22.401-04:00

10 Sept 2004. Some universities, noting the impending boom in eligible applicants, have realized that the scales of higher education are starting to tip in favor of the students. Community colleges and online classes are exploding. Students are taking general education classes while still at home, avoiding the costs of room and board. To lure the kids back to their dorms, they are starting to

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The last day of July 2004. Down by the river in Huntington where West Virginia meets Kentucky and Ohio for a threeway in God's country. A quiet blanket lay over the town for these were the pre-McConaughey days. The pint glass was very informative, just short of a graduate thesis. The only thing missing from the design was a cartoon drawing of their bison mascot (their team name is not just

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-54485543943704963222008-09-14T12:46:00.003-04:002010-12-17T20:00:18.111-05:00

31 July 2004. Another rainy day. It was a weekend morning in Lexington and the campus bookstore was closed! Could I possibly secure a cup from an off-campus vendor and still include it in the CCP? Oh what a conundrum! I decided: Yes. Well, we found one that was open - if I remembered the name I would gladly plug them here - and I picked up my first imprinted pint glass. The good thing

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-76598857005454885192008-09-07T17:52:00.004-04:002008-09-07T18:11:16.764-04:00

30 July 2004. Unfortunately, each trip to a previous campus - save for Delaware - had bad weather, either soaking or steaming. But now, puttering through the pleasant little town of Bowling Green, the sun shone clear. This was the first convenient stop on a swing through the Ohio Valley (oddly enough, none of the schools were from the Ohio Valley athletic conference). The first of three was

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-21217115796165360362008-08-31T23:02:00.005-04:002011-07-05T16:05:17.975-04:00

March 2004. I holed up in a friend's dorm for the first half of spring break. The region around South Hadley, Massachusetts, is not the typical young person's idea of a vacation until you learn it is the home of Mount Holyoke and four other colleges. (I did not take the initiative to visit those schools.) Since MHC was not quite as commercialized as a big public university, their selection

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Early March 2004. The air was moist but it was hard to tell whether its source was natural or artificial. The young Spartans were away on their semester-splitting spring break. With the extra breathing room the maintenance staff was working double time to replace worn grass with bright new turf, soaked to the gills from misting sprinklers. The rolls of lawn were not the only thing about the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-37060527868476957652008-08-17T21:22:00.003-04:002010-12-17T19:56:38.503-05:00

Sometime in 2004, one year before I discovered you can have a soft side for a town by spending a couple months living there despite its large private university being an athletic rival and consistently leapfrogging your hometown in "Best Places To Live" matrices, I found myself in Charlottesville purchasing another cookie cutter tumbler dotted with the sharp but somewhat anemic "V Saber" logo.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-71014810945244671342008-08-10T23:26:00.003-04:002010-12-17T19:58:31.438-05:00

First half of 2004. Exit 1 off of Interstate 95 into Newark. Pronounce the town right and you'll be welcomed into this public university where the most delicious of birds are hallowed sacred. When a school has such a wacky mascot as a Blue Hen, I try to grab a cup with its likeness. But at the beginning of the CCP, I was more interested in keeping with the oversized tumbler theme. One could

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00977834758743162888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756510527599740716.post-90961472988157628562008-08-03T19:39:00.006-04:002010-12-17T20:00:18.113-05:00

February 2004. I could not discern the weather as the university bookstore was connected to the billiards and bowling hall by a maze of doors and stairs. There was a break in the action thanks to my opponent being a no-show so I decided to pick out a souvenir. UTK, along with Texas at Austin, houses its men's athletic programs completely separate from the women. They even have slightly

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