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Cracked.com: This website is tailored for the casual reader of any age looking for a little entertainment. The articles are humorous and often random such as "Why Google's Self-Driving Car Will Probably be Evil". These articles are also well-written and easy to read. Cracked.com allows reader-written articles to be submitted which plays to the audience and makes the website more relevant to what readers want.

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This past weekend I went home for Easter. It was a nice break from the everyday hustle and bustle of school to relax for a change and see my family. Easter dinner is one of my favorite meals at my house. My mom makes honey-glazed ham, mac and cheese, an array of different vegetables, and of course lots of cake for dessert. My mom's homemade food is by far my favorite thing about going home. Eating the same thing day after day at school gets sickening especially when it isn't the healthiest, tastiest stuff. I was lucky enough to get to see my aunt who initially wasn't able to come and my neighbors who are like family to me. The weather was perfect all weekend allowing me a chance to throw a football outside with my dad,  reminding me of summer.

Speaking of summer, it is hard to believe there are only three weeks left of school and finals of course until my freshman year of college is over. I don't wish it to be over, but at the same time I am really looking forward to this summer. This is probably the last free summer I will have because of my plans for internships and study abroad in the coming summers. Because of this, my parents planned an extra vacation to make this summer unforgettable. Besides our trip to Aruba in late July, my parents planned a Royal Caribbean cruise in May. It is on one of those new ships that are only around a year old and bigger than any other cruise ship. I've wanted to go one of those ships since i first learned they were being launched and get a little more excited everyday. In addition, every summer we have a family reunion at my mountain house overlooking Lake George, NY where around fifteen of us come together over fourth of July and enjoy the outdoors. The main thing about this summer, is being able to hang out with all my friends, both old and new. Swimming, barbecues, golf, the beach, and just being outside are some of the best things to do. I cannot wait for summer, but at the same time, I don't want this year to end.

Parents Weekend

Although its only been two weeks since spring break ended, I already miss my family and friends from back home. Luckily, this weekend is parents weekend at my fraternity. That means come Saturday, I'll be having a weekend full of fun with my parents and newfound friends. We have a relaxing barbecue in the afternoon and at night, a social with out Thon partners ZTA and our parents are invited. Being out of college for some thirty years, it'll be fun to give my parents a real behind-the-scenes shot of what college nowadays is really like. This will be the first time they visit my fraternity since I became a member last semester and I'm excited to show them what ATO is all about. At the same time, I'm nervous as to my parents opinion. I'll be living in-house next year and so come Saturday, they will get to see my future home. These mixed feelings don't affect my overall excitement of seeing my parents. The weather the past few days has been a little taste of summer. Unfortunately, it is supposed to rain all weekend which will put a damper on the festivities. But one thing is for sure, I'll make the best out of any situation.

Reflection Proposal - Lake George

For as long as I can remember, Lake George, NY, has been a second home to me. Every summer since I was young, my family and I would pack up the car full of clothes and outdoor equipment and start the five hour drive north, through the Adirondacks to our mountain house overlooking beautiful Lake George. There is no way to describe the beauty of the mountain ranges and untouched majesty of the lake. Every Fourth of July, my parents and I, along with out extended family, all come together on the property for a family reunion. This consists of barbecues, huge bonfires, fireworks, and lots of lake activities. Everyone has a great time and year after we all meet once again. The unique thing about Lake George is that year after year it does not change. Lake George is part of the Adirondack State park where development is highly controlled. Therefore, year after year very little, if anything, changes in the Lake George community. When entering the Village of Lake George, you feel as if you are traveling back in time. It is a quaint village with modern facilities but the feel of an olden town. Motels and campgrounds surround the entire village making it the perfect weekend summer getaway for nature lovers. My favorite part is sitting by the bonfire at night and catching up with my cousins. The cool mountain air mixed with the warmth from the bonfire creates the perfect atmosphere. Looking up at the sky, I can clearly see every star. This is impossible anywhere else because of the lights from towns and cities. This is one of the truly remarkable things about Lake George. Lake George barely changes from year to year and yet I continue to make  memories. A major change they are considering is adding a casino to the Lake George community. In my paper, I will express how this change will affect the community and why it should not take place.

Fallacies Assignment

1. Faulty Casuality: "Making texting while driving illegal caused a decrease in revenue for the cellular companies."

2. Slippery Slope: "If Anna doesn't pass her science test, she will fail the class and ultimately fail out of high school."

3. Example from source: "Most of all, we're lazy and refuse to control our appetites." (Weighing the Evidence) This is an example of a hasty generalization because it makes a conclusion about Americans that cannot really be proved. It is an opinion, not a fact.

Not Friends for life, Brothers

When I was rushing, the common theme presented to me was that the brothers you gain when joining a fraternity, are brothers for life. I did not realize what they were talking about until now. My first day of pledging, I met 21 other guys whom I knew I would be spending much of the following 8 weeks with. We casually exchanged names and started the process of getting to know each other. After a week or so I still had no clue what the brothers were talking about when they said these guys would be my best friends. Finally one day I realized what they meant. Pledging is no easy task by any standards. The difficulty of pledging though, is what creates the lasting bond between a person and his pledge brothers. Soon I started acting like I had known these 21 other guys since I was a child. They already seemed like my brothers after a couple weeks and these relationships continued to grow to this day. When rushing, I often heard the phrase, "you guys will be front row at each others wedding". Let me tell you, there is no way I'm having a small wedding with all the guys I have to invite. There is no question in my mind that ten, twenty, even thirty years from now I will still be able to call these guys my brothers. Sure I may lose touch with many of them through the game of life, but we will never lose that bond. These friendships I have made, are ones worth keeping. There is no doubt these 21 guys will be at my wedding when I finally decide to settle down. The most important question though is not who to choose as my best man, but can I have 21?

It's hard to believe there are only seven weeks left of this semester. Freshman year has blown by and not before long I'll be back in happy valley ready to start my sophomore year. I always hear my parents reiterate that these are the best years of ours lives and to take full advantage of them. Part of me looks to the future while another part wants to be that little kid I was back in the carefree time of elementary school. I must say, I wouldn't go back and do anything different. Everyday I branch out and go out of my comfort zone to make friends and open up new opportunities. Pledging a fraternity was a great stride I never really considered before coming to penn state. When getting ready to go to school, especially one as large as penn state, the best advice I received was to find my niche and join clubs where I could branch out and make friends. I have many hobbies including martial arts, playing the piano, and skiing in which i fully immersed myself in high school. Coming to college, I wasn't sure how I could continue to pursue these hobbies. College is a time to try new things though. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and parts of the world and the only thing in common is the school in which you attend. Pledging a fraternity was not something I was sure I wanted to do, but I decided to at least rush to see what greek life was like. Rushing was one of the most memorable times I have had here at penn state. I met many people throughout my journey around frat row and gained a whole new perspective on greek life. Going into rush I wasn't sure if I wanted to pledge, but coming out I was positive of what I wanted to do. The night bids went out, I was filled with excitement and butterflies as I awaited someone to come and offer me admittance into a lifelong brotherhood. When I finally received my bid, I knew I had found my niche.

Spring Break

Spring break is a time for college students to get away and go party on the beach with friends. One of the kids in my pledge class invited everyone to his beach house in florida for the week. I really wanted to go but at the same time wanted to see my family. After all, my birthday was during spring break and my family wanted to celebrate. Thinking I wouldn't be able to go, I was encourage by my friends and supported by my family and decided to go have some fun in florida for most of the break. That way I would still get to see my family while having some fun with my friends. His beach house was on an island facing the intercoastal waterway. It was the perfect house for a group of 12 college students because his parents planned on tearing the house down and building a brand new one. We went swimming off the dock and went boating. The beach was a 2 minute walk from the house, and although it was really windy, we had a great time there. We stocked the kitchen with food and took turns cooking. I made a big breakfast of bacon and eggs two mornings and made some delicious pasta one of the nights. It gave me the perfect opportunity to test my cooking abilities. The warm weather and palms trees made spring break that much better. I got to hang out with some of my closest friends at college and create stronger relationships. I cannot wait to see what next year brings.

THON 2012

Coming to Penn State, I knew what THON was and that it was a big deal. Considering my sister graduated from the Smeal College of Business in 2007 and watching Penn State football games since I can remember, thon was nothing new. In fact it was one of the reasons why I chose to spend my next four years at Penn State. Thon is one of those things you can never truly describe until you've attended one yourself. Even then, words cannot describe everything you see including the multitude of emotions experienced. My Thon experience started at 2 pm Friday afternoon when I met my fellow ATO brothers at the BJC to block off the section for our org. At 4:00, the doors opened and we rushed to the section we annually occupy to reserve spots for the many supporters that would attend throughout the weekend. For 24 of the next 46 hours, I was on shift for my R&R committee doing security, and checking people on/off the floor, but the entire time I wished I was back with ATO/ZTA. When my final shift ended at 12:30 Sunday afternoon, I ran back to the sea of orange that is ATO and forced my way into a crowded section to be with my brothers. Supporting such a great cause with all my friends made those last four hours one of the most memorable times of my life. The best part was when the total was announced. After the scandal and a canning weekend cancelled, it was going to be hard to beat last year's total. ATO/ZTA worked extra hard this year because of these reasons. Not only did ATO/ZTA once again raise the most money out of any greek organization, but THON as a whole beat last year's total by $1.2 million. During a time when $10 million seemed impossible, we proved that anything is possible especially when the kids are at stake. FTK!

It's hard to believe that in 10 days I will be experiencing my first every THON here at Penn State. I've heard many stories from friends about their past experiences with thon and, not knowing what to expect, am nervous but excited to make my own. Beside my fraternity, I am on an R&R committee for thon which has been a great experience. It has been great to meet so many new people and make lots of friends in the process. Coming from a graduating class of 1000+, a large school is nothing new, but at the same time it makes a person feel small. I am grateful to have met so many cool people. So back to the committee, tonight we learned what shifts we would be working thon weekend. As a pass team member of R&R, I am responsible for security and checking people on/off the floor during thon weekend. I am working four 6-hour shifts during the course of the weekend with 6 hour breaks in between. This would not seem like a terrible thing until you realize you cannot sit (which I did tonight). It never crossed my mind that I would be standing every single moment I would be at the Bryce Jordan Center during that weekend. Compared to the dancers who must stay standing for 46 hours straight, four 6-hour shifts seem like nothing. Afterall, next weekend will be my first thon experience and I would not trade it for anything. I am trying to make the most out of my experiences here at Penn State and thon is definitely one of them. This weekend I will be going away with my fraternity to raise additional funds for thon. Like canning, we will be staying at brothers' houses but going door-to-door instead of standing on street corners. Pledgebooking, as this is called, is what sets ATO aside from many other organizations in thon. It is that extra push that takes us that much closer to a cure. FTK.

#1 - A Semester of Hard Works Makes a Brother for Life

My first semester as a freshman at Penn State was one full of excitement and opportunity; but at the same time, it was one full of stress, time management, and the occasional long night. Pledging a fraternity is in no way an easy task. Committing hours upon hours of my time to show my support and willingness to join the brotherhood was daunting among the acclimation and first semester schoolwork I was experiencing. Thinking it would never end, I kept my head up and before I knew it initiation time had come and winter break soon followed. Now that second semester had started and pledging is long gone, time seems infinite. I can now devote much more effort to class and school work, making new friends and chilling with old ones, extracurricular activities including my THON committee, getting in shape by lifting weights and running, and de-stressing at the end of the day by watching my favorite TV program. I do not regret my decision to join a fraternity or when I decided to enter into the process of becoming a brother. Although I may have neglected my friends more than I would have liked, I am now able to devote much more time to forming bonds and lasting relationships with those who mean something. By joining a fraternity, I am not only entering into a brotherhood for my time here at Penn State, I am entering into something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Many think "frat bros" are idiots who like to party and get with girls. In reality, they are much more than that. These guys are gentlemen who not only work to better themselves, but also work to better the school and community. Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), the fraternity I joined, is Penn State's top Greek fundraiser for THON and it has been for many years. I look up to the older brothers in the house with respect and look to them for guidance. They have a lot to teach me and I have a lot to learn.