Farewell November...

I am typing this at full speed to ensure I get it out before midnight. I can't believe November is already gone. As I type Christmas music is playing on my iTunes (only allowed AFTER Thanksgiving) and I am realizing the Christmas season is upon us. November saw crazy events in sports as UK has achieved a 7-0 record and the Bengals sit in first place in the AFC North. I saw an acceptance to upper division for my major in Journalism, and I am continuing to progress in my work with the Kentucky Kernel.

I am fortunate to find my family and friends in good health and I am certainly thankful for that. I wish all of you a Happy Holidays and I will see you in December (2 minutes from now)


I look forward to spending much of my Holiday blogging ranking my top favorite Christmas films. Feel free to begin submissions now to ensure I don't forget anything...

The lost weeks...

The weeks between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break are hell- a purgatory of deciding where you can coast, and where you need to kick your work into overdrive. I am doing well in all of my classes but one, and I am furiously writing papers to help bring my grade back up in that class. I have papers due in other classes as well, each carrying as much weight as the next. However, fortunately with these types of classes, these papers replace the finals, making my third and final week much less stressful than those of my peers.

The Kernel has made certain to stress the importance that while students may be coasting during these closing weeks of the semester, our paper will not. We are still stacking coverage stories upon coverage stories, staying late and working all day. But I couldn't be more proud of being a part of an organization that takes itself so seriously. I just hope it helps to hone my craft to where it needs to be.

Regardless, I just need to buckle down and make sure I get the things done that I need to get done, and that I don't just coast in an effort to make it through these last 18 days.

In the BasketBallroom of Cancun...

The Kentucky Wildcats have won the Cancun Challenge after defeating the Stanford Cardinal 73-65 in overtime. While the game was close all the way until the final minute, the two true heroes were John Wall, who hit the game tying free throws with just 2 seconds left in regulation, and Ramon Harris with his furious defense and free throws to put the Cats up in overtime.

What was crazy about the tournament were the conditions in which the games were played. As seen in the pictures, a makeshift court was built in a ballroom, as chandeliers literally hung less than 30 feet above the floor. In addition, the wood that made up the court was warped and didn't fit together properly leaving gaps in the wood wide enough to literally cause turnovers.


While the conditions were bad, the competition wasn't much better. Stanford and Virginia were the only decent teams in the Challenge, and they are mediocre at best. I can only imagine Gillispie chose Cancun just so he could come down and get his drink on... but that's merely speculation. Calipari already has UK in the Maui invitational next year in a field that includes Michigan St, UConn and Oklahoma. Now thats what I'm talking about

Despite the conditions the Cats prevailed with three straight wins, taking their record to 6-0. They return to Kentucky to play a game in Freedom Hall in Louisville on Friday, and next Saturday comes the epic showdown in the race to 2,000 wins when the Cats host North Carolina, then head to Madison Square Garden to take on UConn. Exciting week of UK basketball ahead. Time to buckle up for the ride.

Thanksgiving Break

While it's easy to get caught up in the fun and work involved in life at college, it's nice to go home every now and then. I've spent a total of two nights in my home bed since early August, and coming home for the first extended period in months has already been a relief. Life at school has been hectic with work and socializing and it's nice to have somewhere I can go to just unwind.

I am thrilled that the majority of my friends will also be coming home over the break, and while for the most part Thanksgiving break serves as just an appetizer for the much larger break on the horizon, it is the nature of the break that truly allows one to embrace the holiday. No matter what is going on in your life, there is something to be thankful for. Even if relationships are broken, family members have passed or otherwise, there are always other aspects of life which we most likely take for granted, and I feel fortunate enough that in this moment I am very thankful for where I am in my life.

Of course, Thanksgiving means family. This is my year to head down to Louisville to celebrate with my dad's side of the family, which is always quite an adventure. My family isn't so different from that of the Griswold's in the Vacation films, and honestly I'm thankful for that in and of itself. I know that I will be loved and entertained all at once, and I for one am looking forward to it.

While my family and friends may not be perfect like the Tanners, I am just happy to be unable to count on both hands the ones I care for in my life. I am honored to have the friends and family that I have, and I can't wait to see them.

In Papaw we Trust

The Kentucky Wildcats are looking good... and I'm not talking about basketaball this time (although they are looking good too). The UK football team beat Georgia in Athens earlier tonight, bringing their record to an impressive 7-4. If the Cats can beat Tennesse in Lexington next weekend they will be on their way to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. If road wins at Auburn and Georgia isn't a testament to the impact Rich Brooks has had on this Kentucky program, then I don't know what is. He has been an outstanding coach, taking the Cats to their 4th straight Bowl game this season, and if he wins UK will have four consecutive Bowl wins for the first time in their history.

Let's Go Cats.

Snacks and sh*t

Thanks to my lovely friends I was introduced to the perfect website for those who truly enjoy the absurdity in hip-hop lyrics these days. The blog "Snacks and Shit" compiles absurd and (unfortunately) real rap lyrics, states the artists, and follows them up with humorous commentary. The website is updated rather frequently and there is a twitter account linked to it as well that is updated each time they add a new post. In addition to the hyperlink I tagged above, I have also added the website under my "People with stuff to say" section found along the right side of this website.

A sample of what can be found on Snacks and Shit:

"Watch me make a movie like Albert Hitchcock."
- Pitbull, 1, 2 3, 4 I Know You Want Me

Who's Albert Hitchcock? Is that Alfred Hitchcock's idiot brother?

Filed Under: Needs a research assistant / Simply incorrect


"Don't holler at me unless money is the topic."
- Nipsey Hussle, Hussle Is My Last Name

Friend: Hey what time is it?
Nipsey: What did we talk about?
Friend: Oh, that's right. Sorry. Umm... What time is it right now at the bank?
Nipsey: Ten after two.

Filed under: Alienating too many topics of conversations


If that isn't enough to entice you to check out the site then I don't know what is. But for those who get a little laugh there are hundreds more just like that and you can entertain yourself for hours going through the lyrics these guys have compiled on their site.

Also, if you'd like to follow them on twitter click here to access their page.

Meet John Wall...

365 days ago Kentucky would have lost to Miami Ohio. But then came the Johns- Calipari and Wall. Miami Ohio played stifling defense and shot 58% from the field and kept themselves in the game. Hell, they took an 18 point lead over the Cats at one point. But when push came to shove, the Cats took a 3 point lead with 15 seconds left until Miami went down court and sunk a prayer with 6 seconds left. I felt it. Overtime. The days of Gardner Webb and VMI came creeping back into my mind. Until I realized the difference this season. The coach on the bench knew how to draw up plays and there was a player on the court capable of handling the ball. John Wall took the ball and sunk a jump shot with a half a second left.

There would be no repeats of the last two years. The Wildcats are 2-0 and ranked 4th in the country in the AP poll with Sam Houston waiting in the wings on Thursday.


Below is the footage of Wall's game-winning shot:

Realizing the power of Twitter

Over the past couple weeks, with the assistance of friends, I have slowly been starting to realize the true power of Twitter, and what it is that makes this particular social networking tool so cool.

Not only are you able to see the most frequently discussed things on the web in that exact moment via the trending topics list, but you are also able to do live searches. You can see what anyone has said about a given topic and get up the second responses that continue to update while you're reading.

But the greatest part about Twitter is the way it lets you connect to celebrities. Already I was able to talk directly to Tucker Max about his new movie, and set up an interview for the Kernel. In addition Chad OchoCinco tweeted me responding to my request for him to record a video, and he did, and it is posted on this very blog if you want to see it. In addition he also responded to my tweet asking him when he would be on the David Letterman show.

Twitter allows users direct access not only to peers, but celebrities, and gives them a very real view of what their favorite people are like. Jeremy Piven for instance always twitpics pictures of him and the actors of Entourage on the set, or Chad OchoCinco does a live video stream of him making dinner, or showing his workout routine.

Yes, facebook is better for pictures and such and has more features, but nothing allows the instant, gratifying access that Twitter does. For those of you holding out, all you are doing is missing out. And for those who are finally jumping on the bandwagon, congratulations.

My twitter username is Murrnation. Follow me. And for your own entertainment, follow OGOchoCinco as well.