Vincent's Blog

Summer, part 1

vincent — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:01:35 +0000

For the last couple of weeks I have been thinking of things to write about for my blog. I try not to do any thinking during the summer, and that is costing me a lot when it comes to writing.Nothing has come to mind so I will just write about the summer that does not exist. This summer has not been one to brag about except my job. I love my job working at my church summer camp. The kids and staff are great to work with. Outside of work there is always the movies. Iron Man was a good, but long movie with lots of action. A road trip to Six Flags will do the trick for me.

Unfinished Book

vincent — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:34:31 +0000

Hello my name is Vincent, and I am writing a series of book of my life. I finished the first book with the completion of getting my high school diploma. I am now starting a new book on my college years. This book will not end until I walk across the stage of Austin Peay with a degree in my hand. Right now I have an unfinished book. My freshman year is finally over, but I have not achieved my ultimate goal. This freshman year was good to me. I know that all good things must come to an end, but I do not want this feeling to end. Things may not have gone the way I always wanted or planned, but it was not worse as it could be. I met a lot of new people, which I now call my family. It is a great feeling to know that even though I have my intermediate family, I also have an Austin Peay family. Through the good and the bad, nothing could change the feeling of completion of my freshman year in college. Nothing will change the joy that feel my heart. I know this is only the beginning of a great book. I have accomplished a lot in my freshman year, but I know that this journey is not yet over. There is a lot more in store for me. I have always been taught that it is better to give than receive because the reward is so much better. I have tried my hardest to give of myself to Austin Peay and to Clarksville, and I think I accomplished that. My reward I received will not be a trophy or a certificate, but rather I received more wisdom, new friends and completion. This chapter was had all the emotions possible, but I know it will happen again in the next chapter too. I will be sad because of saying good bye knowing that it will be three months until I see old friends again, but also happy to know that old and new friends will come next fall. The summer will come and go and on August 10, my next chapter will begin at Austin Peay when I arrive for RA training. So I end this blog not with a period, but with a three dots meaning that there is a continuation to this book. It has been a privilege and may you find…

***Sidenote: This was my hardest blog to write. A tear or two did come to my eyes, but that’s ok because real men cry.***

Unsung Heroes

vincent — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:06:03 +0000

Like ever morning when I wake up, I turn on the weather channel to check the temperature for the day. The temperature says it is going to be a nice cool day so I decide to throw on some gym shorts and a t-shirt. As I start my walk to class I notice men outside with uniforms on that say “AP Physical Plant”. They are either cutting the grass, picking up trash or going to do some maintenance work in one of the many Austin Peay buildings. Everyday all day, they are here making Austin Peay function. We walk past these people and forget the job that they do for this university. They do not do their job for the glory or the fame. They are behind the scenes. These people keep the campus presentable and running for students, faculty, staff and visitors. They are unsung heroes. Never will you see them getting a certificate or trophy. I say thank you to these unsung heroes because people do notice. They are the true champions for the job they do.

Top 10 Kids Shows of all Time

vincent — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:14:02 +0000

So I have been doing a lot of thinking about kid shows lately. I have a roommate who loves to watch cartoons, but I can never seem to sit down and watch it with him. The shows now days are not the same like they used to be. I remember when kids you used to actually wake up early on Saturday mornings and watch kid shows while eating Fruit Loops or Captain N’ Crunch. Now day’s kids will not wake up even if the world is coming to an end. Also, I remember when kids were almost late for school because they were so busy watching cartoons they forgot about getting dressed for school. What happened to the good old days? I will tell you what happened, kid shows are not the same as they used to be. All kids care about today is the new game system that came out, phone or etc… So I think we need to go back to the glory days of kid shows. I came up with a list of all time kids shows. I gave a list of shows to my fellow Austin Peay friends, and had them come up with the top 10 from the list given with 10 being the lowest and 1 being the highest. The list with our answers are down below. Check out out answers and compare them with yours, and send me what you think the 10 are as well.

List of Shows

Doug

Rugrats

Power Rangers (original)

Barney

Sponge Bob Square Pants

Sesame Street

All That

Kenan and Kel

Arthur

Gula Gula Island

Vincent Wilson 10 Ten

10. Sesame Street

9. All That

8. Arthur

7. Power Rangers

6. Doug

5. Gula Gula Island

4. Sponge Bob Square Pants

3. Kenan and Kel

2. Rugrats

1. Barney

Jeremy Chandler Top Ten

10. Sponge Bob Square Pants

9. Sesame Street

8. Arthur

7. Barney

6. Kenan and

5. Gula Gula Island

4. Rugrats

3. Doug

2. All That

1. Power Rangers

Chelsea Savage Top Ten

10. Arthur

9. Sponge Bob Square Pants

8. Sesame

7. Barney

6. Gula Gula Island

5. Kenan and Kel

4. All That

3. Doug

2. Rugrats

1. Power Rangers

Scott Sanders Top Ten

10. Barney

9. Sponge Bob Square Pants

8. Rugrats

7. Arthur

6. All That

5. Sesame Street

4. Kenan and Kel

3. Gula Gula Island

2. Doug

1. Power Rangers

What Will Matter

vincent — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:44:46 +0000

In everything I do, I want for that thing to have significance. My decision to come to Austin Peay, I wanted it to have a significance. The people I know and organizations I join; I want it to have significance. I want what I do in life to really matter.

So deciding to come to Austin Peay will have significance in everything I do. I decided before I set foot on campus that I wanted to give of myself. In less than a year of being here at Austin Peay, I truly hope that I have made my significance and will continue to do so. Austin Peay has already given me more than I have paid for.

I did not always have this clarity when it came to wanting to have significance at Austin Peay. It took a poem from my 11th grade English class to help me figure it out. This poem not only helped me figure the significance I wanted to leave at Austin Peay, but everywhere else. So I end this blog with that poem. It has been a great inspiration to me, and hopefully you can get something out of it too.

What Will Matter
By: Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Yours grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even you gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will mater is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Holiday Blessings

vincent — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:10:16 +0000

So finals are now over and I can not be so excited. It has been a great first semester with many more semesters to come. My grades are where I want them to be. As much as I miss my bed in Memphis, I am also missing my bed at APSU. I am counting down the days until I return to APSU. As much as I want to spend time with family and friends, I also miss my new family at APSU. Over the break I will spend time with family, friends from high school, and mediaion. I just hope I do not gain a lot of weight over the break, freshman 15 is no joke. I will be hitting up the Foy Center as soon as I get back from break. I just got a feeling I will not be the only one hitting up the Foy Center trying to loose the weight from break.

For some reason I have been doing a lot of thinking about my high school alma mater. It says, “There are things in life we treasure as the years go swiftly by. Good times, good friends, and special memories fill our hearts with pride. May the lessons that you taught us and the truths exemplified. Bring you glory now and ever…” I know that this alma mater does not just pertain to high school, but to everything else that we do. Let us not forget the things we should truly treasure over this holiday break.

Happy Holidays and New Year.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

vincent — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:26:25 +0000

Veni, vidi, vici is a famous Latin sentence spoken by Julius Caesar in 47 BC. Caesar used the sentence as the full text of his message to the Roman senate describing his recent victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in the Battle of Zela in Zile, a town of Tokat city in contemporary Turkey.

The first of many semesters is over at APSU. I have done many things in one semester, but no words can describe the things I have accomplished other than Julius Caesars quote, “Veni, vidi, vici.” Translated in English the quote means, “I came, I saw, and I conquered.” So here are a few of the things that remains me of this quote:

I came: fresh out of high school.; to Tennessee’s biggest kept college secret.; to Austin Peay State University in Clarksville.; to a new beginning of what life has to offer.
I saw: doors close from leaving high school.; doors open up from going to Austin Peay.; new friendships that will last a life time.; the lows of being sick and still going to class.; sleepless nights from studying.; the highs of getting involved.; the best of what APSU has to offer.
I conquered: homesickness.; exams.; tests.; trials and tribulations.; adversity.; the impossible.; my first semester as a freshman in college.

Crossing Over

vincent — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:31:26 +0000

Crossing over from high school to college can be whatever you decide to make it. My transition was not easy, but it was not hard. The transition from one way of life to another will not always go the way we want it to, but it is what we make of it. I was homesick for the first three weeks. Being so far away from home and not being able to come home when I wanted to was different for me. Even though I hung out with some of my friends from Memphis, I was still empty on the inside. It was after I started getting involved with school activities and organizations that I felt better. I began to meet new people and learn new things. I did not hang out with my friends from Memphis as much; I was not trying to abandon them, but rather expanding my friends at APSU. The best way I can explain my mindset was, “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it is not always a duck; it could be AFLAC.” I thought school was a duck, but it turned out to be AFLAC, which is even better. I did not see college the way other people saw it because I was still homesick, but after I got involved I saw college ten times better. I went home for fall break and thanksgiving and wanted to come back to Austin Peay. I felt like a guest in the house I had grown up in for 18 years. Austin Peay is now my new home and will be for the next fours years, or even more if I decide to come for graduate school. So if you do not take anything else from what I say, take this GET INVOLVED. It will not only make the school better, but it will make you better more than you know. I can say this from personal experience. I have crossed over to Austin Peay, come join me and share the Peay Pride with me.