I got back on Wednesday evening from my fraternity conference in Lexington, VA. I was a facilitator for a bunch of leadership workshops and things like that, and it was really encouraging to see all of the undergraduate members of the fraternity who were really working to make their chapters better. I hate it that fraternities have such a bad reputation. The truth is, fraternities and sororities offer leadership programs that are not offered in any other venue, they raise tens of millions of dollars each year for philanthropic organizations, they offer young college students a supportive atmosphere that helps relieve the stress of college, they provide educational opportunities to learn about how to manage risk (alcohol abuse, abstinence and safe sex education, fire safety, etc.), and much, much more.

True, bad things happen. However, if you think of any setting where a group of college students are living together, something is bound to go wrong eventually. Even if it is in a dormitory, someone in the dorm will make a mistake. The difference is that in a fraternity or sorority, the person who messed up will have a support group of friends who will help him or her through that time. Additionally, in a fraternity or sorority, the odds of something bad happening are decreased because there are more people with a vested interest in making sure something doesn’t happen.

On another note, my chapter of Sigma Nu did extremely well. We won more awards than any other chapter! I was inducted into the Alpha Chapter (which is an honor only ten seniors per year can achieve), one of my best friends (Bryan) was named the Scholar of the Year, we won Excellence in LEAD Phase I, Excellence in LEAD Phase II, Excellence in LEAD Phase III, Excellence in All-Chapter LEAD, LEAD Chapter of the Year, the Increase in Manpower Award, and we were named among the top 10 Sigma Nu chapters in the world through Sigma Nu’s “Pursuit of Excellence” program.

If you’re wondering what all of the LEAD stuff is, it’s our membership development program. LEAD stands for Leadership, Ethics, Achievement and Development.

For a few years now, Comedy Central has had a television show called “Reno 911″ and they recently made a movie. Reno 911! Miami The Movie is a funny movie that features all of the crazy things these insane characters do while serving on their local police force.

If you go to their website, http://www.reno911dvd.com, you can learn a lot more information about this particular movie, and you can decide for yourself if you want to see it. If you like to see crazy stunts and slap stick comedy, then this movie is more than likely one that you will enjoy immensely.

While at the website, you can click an icon in the upper right hand corner and play one of four games. I played a difficult game called “Calling All Units” where I had to navigate a police car to various parts of a city. As it turned out, I was not very good at this game. In fact, I was horrible! My ending salary was only $13,200.00, my “bustin’ bonus” was $2,000, but my cost to the city was $98,000.00! Needless to say, I wouldn’t be kept on the force for long. Make sure you check out these fun games!

I’m living at the fraternity house this summer. It’s the last time I will ever live in a fraternity house, so I’m really trying to enjoy the perks, like having my friends all over the place, but I’m not enjoying some of the drawbacks. I have been asked to serve on the board for our house corporation, which is the group that actually owns the house. They charge our room and board and pay for maintenance and upkeep and things like that. Now, I am among those that help make those decisions. I attended my first meeting last friday.

I learned that our boiler is about 25 years old, and one of the alumni said that he was hoping it would last a couple more years before we would have to replace it. Well, three days after making that statement, our boiler has died. That means that our showers and sinks and toilets in an older part of the house do not work. Luckily, the bathroom by my bedroom is working just fine, but I’m most upset that our laundry facilities won’t work.

I’m going on a trip on Friday, and I was planning on doing my laundry tonight so that it can all be clean and packed for my trip. Now, I have a pile of dirty clothes and nowhere to wash them. At the fraternity, it’s only fifty cents to wash and fifty cents to dry, and I know I won’t be able to find it that cheap anywhere else. Now I’ve decided to drive to my parents’ house tonight and do my laundry there. Then I’ll either drive back in the morning or when I finish my laundry tonight. It’s about an hour and a half long drive, so it’s not that big of a deal, just kind of annoying.

I am really looking forward to getting into my new apartment. My stuff here at the frat house is getting ratty looking. My comforter is the one we bought when I was a freshman. Thankfully, it was a good quality one so it doesn’t look half bad. I am going to get a new bedspread. I probably won’t get the embroidered duvet covers because it is a little frilly for my taste but Terry’s Fabrics has ablue contemporary one that I think will fit with my style. You should check out Terry’s Fabrics. I can’t believe how much bedding they have.

Sponsored post.

It seems as if a lot of today’s politicians admire Harry Truman. He was a calculating and bossy during his administration. When he left office, there were more than a few happy people. His administration was accused of corruption and the Korean War was stalemated. So, why is he admired today? As years passed, he was most remembered for taking risks. He felt a sense of responsibility and often said “the buck stops here” as a way of explaining what power he felt he had.

With many citizens unhappy with President Bush, they are saying they want a bolder president. One who isn’t afraid to make choices that might be unpopular. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell, until a person is in office, what they really stand for.

Using illegal drugs, or abusing legal ones, can really tear a family apart. Being in college, I have seen a lot of people who succumb to the pressures that society puts on people my age to make poor decisions. It is so easy to do, but it only hurts you, your family, and your friends. If you need to enter rehab, there are many options available, like halfway houses. Please check out rehabs.biz today.

I’m going to meet up with Matt and Lauren tonight and we’re going to have some Chinese food. I absolutely love Chinese food, and this place isn’t very expensive. Best of all, they have sushi! I like sushi. I don’t really trust a lot of places around here because we’re a land-locked state. How can sushi be good if there is no ocean nearby? Well, I’ve heard good things, so I’m going to get a piece, throw on some wasabi, and I’ll be good to go!

Do you like sushi?

Pictavision offers a whole new look for taking pictures and videos from your cell phone. PV for mobile phones - grab it now! Check out this video about the importance of cell phone pictures. I know I always want the best pictures possible, even if they are from my cell phone. Pictavision can help! Make sure you watch my video and check out their website!

One of these days, I will propose to my girlfriend. I just don’t know how I’m going to do it. Do any of you have any ideas? How did you propose or how were you proposed to? Any suggestions?

Michael Weston is a CIA Operative, who is about to be fired. The reasons seem normal enough. He has been accused of having improper relations with an enemy spy. However, what he does not know is that the enemy spy is actually another CIA Operative who has been given the task of getting him out of the line of duty for his own safety, without him knowing. He has been tagged by the Russian Mafia as a spy who knows too much about their criminal organization, and he is about to be assassinated. It is the CIAs hope that if he is no longer affiliated with the CIA, he will be out of harm’s way.

During one last rendezvous with his enemy spy, Charlotte, he is drugged and wakes to find himself at a remote location where he is debriefed from his current mission. He is given a new identity and a set of questions that he fears will never be answered. He sets out to learn the truth about his firing, but soon learns that he may pay the ultimate price for his curiosity.

Michael Weston is a part of USA Network’s Burn Notice. Make sure you check out the series at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice.