Remembering 2012 - A Look Back

I just wanted to take some time to talk about some of the awesome parts of 2012, and record them somewhere to be able to reflect back on them as well be able to show all of you what I've been up to!

Here are the Top 10 best moments of 2012 for me, lets starts from the top:

10.)Promotion + Finishing 3rd in Gold league

Alright, so I've got to keep my priorities straight everyone and while I am proud of myself for working my way up to the top of Gold League, I can't place this any higher on the list. I think at the beginning of this year I was somewhere around mid-silver. I feel like I have been consistently improving my game over the months, and I am now on the edge of another promotion into Platinum! (Woot ^.^) I've probably taken a lot longer than most to get to where I am, but I'm in no rush. I've had a lot going outside the game that I care more about or want to concentrate on more, and personal growth in the end is what it is all about for me. I'll do another post about wrapping up the current builds I'm using and a more in depth re-cap of the season as I normally do. Hopefully this time next year I can say I'm high up in Platinum!

9.) Balloon ride

For my birthday I was given a special birthday present from my parents, but first I had to be blindfolded and driven to a "secret" location. If you read my previous post about this experience (21st Bday post) then you know that I was scared to death at first when that balloon took off. I'm not afraid of heights per-say, but I'll characterize it as "I need to get comfortable". However, the speed at which that balloon took off didn't allow for much of that. Once you get up into the sky though it is such a beautiful sight and the view is just as breathtaking as anyone could imagine (if the ascent hasn't already done that to you).





Don't tell my girlfriend but I would totally take another balloon ride, and I hope that the next time with some begging and pleading I miiiiiight be able to persuade her to go. On my birthday, I actually convinced my 11 year-old brother Ryan to go with me about 10 minutes before take off! Here are just a couple of the pictures I took while floating on.






8.) Ran a 5k
 About 6 or 7 years ago my family started a tradition of running the Flemington, NJ Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. The last 2 years...I got kind of lazy, and didn't run. But this year I made a comeback! I did a little training up in Vermont before I came home for break, and got up bright and early with my dad and two brothers and we headed off to the race.

This race has been growing every year, this year there were around 6-7,000 people!! I think that when I started running this race years ago there were probably no more than 2,000, so it has grown very quickly over the last couple of years.

 Take a guess what minute marker I started at based on these pictures...

6:00 min/mile pace :O
and there were still easily 1,000 people in front of me with 5:00 min/mile being the starting line. It was so ridiculously packed, but such a fun time. As you could expect, those running the 5K repeatedly said "glad I'm getting my workout in so I can devour turkey later!"

And the winner is...


Andrew (20, Right) - 22:30
 Ryan (12, center) - 24:50
Kyle (Me :D, Left, 21) - 24:55
Dad (Back, 48) - 25:15



Andrew!








7.) Canada

 In the past, we have gone to Sand Lake and that is where we went again over the summer for a week packed full of fishing, fishing, and fishing with some tubing, water-skiing, and wake-boarding sprinkled in. Literally, my little brother Ryan and I get up at 6am and fish until breakfast around 10am, and then we will head out as soon as we can call it "evening" and fish until the mosquitoes are chewing me apart. We look forward to the fishing every year and breaking some of our own records for Bass and Pike. 

On the left and right are shots that I took on the first and second morning of fishing. The lake isn't very populated so it's literally glass and untouched until we hit the water. The bottom was a beautiful shot I took on the last evening of fishing. I love Sand Lake.

Just in case you are wondering, YES, I did catch fish as well. Ryan, however, dominated this year and so I think he deserves the photo op. He just got a new pole for Christmas, so I'm sure he excited to get 'em again next year!

According to Ryan, our record (caught by him) was a monster 6 pound bass that we caught on a live minnow. It might be the one on the left, but I'm not sure because a lot of the fish we caught this year pretty big (stealth brag). It is so nice to get away from everything for a week and just go live in a quiet and peaceful place and enjoy just that. Living in the middle of nowhere is probably not for everybody, but getting to stay on a lake that isn't crowded and noisy and live in a house that is nicely furnished and a fun place to be is one of the most fun vacations I can go on!

6.) Completing my Criminal Justice Administration class
This one isn't going to get a long schpeal because it made my semester hell, and it doesn't deserve any further recognition. On top of normal classes and tests, we had to create the "ideal" criminal justice agency. As it turns out, it is a pain in the ASS to do so from the ground up. After putting over 100 hours into it with my group we made an 80 page agency design, and presented our ideas to the class to get over one of the biggest hurdles in my major. Good riddance CJ Admin, you can stay in 2012.

5.) Turning 21/casino trip/playing poker live

Turning 21 was AWESOME. I love being of age to go to casinos and buy my own alcohol. It's a cool feeling and while I don't abuse either of those privileges it is nice to have the freedom to do either. If you want to read about my birthday and my first trip to Sands Casino (yes, I've been since), then I would like to check out that post here! The activity that is coming in at #5 is finally have the guts to sit down and play live poker. It was only a $1/2 NL game, but I was nervous as soon as I sat down with $160 in front of me. I was shaking as I bet, I played SUCH a tight range, and I didn't really get much done, but I didn't go broke! Now that I have 1 small session under my belt I will be much more confident going into the next cash game/tournament I play and I'm so excited to play again! For Christmas, my family gave $50 to go toward the $100 buy weekly tournament they run, so hopefully I can have some run good and place well in the next couple of weeks. I can't play online, yet, but now I am over the nerves of playing live, and it's a great feeling.

(Sorry it's sideways, didn't want to look like a n00b taking a picture playing live poker)

4.) Warped Tour
 I have gone to Warped Tour for the past 3 years with my girlfriend Jenna and other friends that make the trip down from VT and NH mainly. I looooooveee going because obviously you get to see a ton of your favorite bands, and run your back account into the ground buying merch or simply paying for the ATM fee to withdraw money (...ask me about last year). I got to take a couple good pictures but when you spend the entire day at the venue you need to make battery life last the whole day, so I also want to list the bands that I got to see. Some were for the first time, some were for the 2nd and 3rd time!

                                      I recorded Of Mice and Men playing Second and Sebring!

Of Mice and Men

Falling in Reverse

Take a guess!

 So here is a list of the bands that I got to see:
- All Time Low
- Bayside
- Chunk!, No Captain Chunk!
- Falling in Reverse
- For Today
- Mayday Parade
- Miss May I
- New Found Glory
- Pierce the Veil
-Polar Bear Club



Continued:
- Sleeping with Sirens
- Streetlight Manifesto
- Taking Back Sunday
- Yellowcard


Wow! After counting them up that I got to see 14 bands. I also bought an Of Mice and Men t-shirt, their CD, and expensive venue food and beer!





Even though every warped tour I have been to has been a SCORCHER and I'm completely drained at the end, it always turns out to be a great time. Another plus is when you finally get home, the feeling of AC and a comfy bed or couch is the greatest feeling ever for that moment and you most likely just pass out. I'm already stalking the band list for Warped Tour 2013!







3.) Winning the academic excellence award in Criminal Justice

During the spring 2012 semester I had a blue envelope show up in my campus mailbox. This usually means one of two things, either I am in trouble and it is telling me who I need to meet with or an administrative office needs to get a hold of me. It turns that blue envelope was them informing me that I had been selected to receive the academic excellence award for Criminal Justice! I was so honored to be picked out of all of the CRJ majors, and I was so excited because winning awards is not something I do often. There was a nice reception and my mom and grandma drove up to attend the awards ceremony, and Jenna came as well. I get really embarrassed in front of people, so being up on stage and having my professor speaking about what a great student I am definitely made me bashful.

 
 2.) Taking the LSAT/applying to law schools

I took the October LSAT, and if you'd like to see a more in depth post click here. I ended up getting a 145, and immediately signed up for the December LSAT. I am currently awaiting the results for that test, and they should be here by January 5th. I'm definitely getting nervous. Regardless of what score I get I will be applying to a couple of law schools, and I might shoot one out to a school or two far away and see what happens. I know I'm not going to be getting into any prestigious law school, but I'm proud of myself for following this dream of trying to make it into law school and become an attorney. If I don't get accepted now, I am completely fine with that and I wouldn't mind getting a full time job in a law office as a legal assistant or a paralegal so that I can build my resume more and give myself a better shot of getting in next time I apply. Employers! If you are looking for a hardworking, knowledgeable, and dedicated individual who can learn fast and has a passion for the law drop me a comment! (shameless job-hunt plug)
Here are the schools that I am applying to as of now:
- Rutgers - Newark
- Rutgers - Camden
- Earle Mack (Drexel)
- Vermont Law School
- Seton Hall
- Widener Law

If I get into any law school, you can be sure that I will be posting about it because I will FREAKING OUT WITH EXCITEMENT!

1.) Celebrating 2 1/2 years with Jenna

We've been together for 2 years + 8 months, but I just picked the nearest "milestone" that we celebrated. I actually take her on "Monthaversary" dates, so we've been celebrating every 30 days! In all seriousness though, I am such a lucky guy to be dating Jenna. I think one of the best qualities we have as a couple is that we can be ourselves, and we never feel like we need to perform or act like someone we aren't. Whether we are bummin' around the house hanging on our computers, cuddling up to watch Scrubs, or shopping (Yes Jenna shopping) we just feel happy and relaxed to be together. If you keep up with either of our blogs, you may have noticed that Jenna has graduated, and I am unfortunately still in school. While the first 9 months of this year were amazing due to the fact that we saw each other every day during the spring semester last year, and got to do things like warped tour and go to the beach and spend a lot of time together, this past fall semester has been admittedly harder for us because she is living in NJ and working full-time at a hospital and I am going to school in VT :(

BUT

We made it through 2012 together, and looking forward to the future makes me so excited because while I have 1 semester to go, it is my last semester of school in VT! I will be graduating in May, and I want to start planning and deciding where we can afford to live. Sharing an apartment together has been a dream of ours for a long time because we have had to live, at a minimum, an hour from each other throughout our whole relationship (excluding school). I'm excited for the future because of the possibilities we have together. I loved spending 2012 with Jenna, but I'm so excited for us to do so much more in 2013! I'll just post a couple cheesy of photos of us from the last 12 months to close this out, but Jenna is my #1 :)

If you made it this far, please, tell me what your best moment of the last year was! 

I hope you enjoyed hearing all about my life, and I hope this Top 10 looks as exciting and interesting to you as it was for me to experience! Thanks for reading!

Graduation Day! May 2012

Cheers!

New Years Eve! I took Jenna out on a date and we had some delicious food. Chicken nachos, that is all I'm gonna say.

The Death Penalty

A topic that a lot of people are fully aware of, but probably don't think much about is the death penalty and it's use in the United States. I'll just put the obvious question out there for you to answer for yourselves.

Do you support the use of the death penalty?

Think it over for a second, and I'd love to hear your reasons why you do/don't support it.

I don't want to just spew out my opinion out because at least at this time I think it would be best if I kept it to myself, but over the last 4 years in criminal justice program I have had the chance to become informed on almost all aspects of both sides of the argument. This year I decided to take an elective class aptly named "The Death Penalty", and while a lot of the topics covered this semester have been review for me I have been trying to take on a more active role in gaining information from sources other than your typical textbook or set of lecture notes. I decided to contact someone who has been involved with the death penalty process for a long time now, and had come within 20 minutes of execution himself until the United States Supreme Court granted him a stay to further allow for DNA testing on evidence that he claims will prove his innocence, or that at least someone else committed the crime. I sent a letter to Hank Skinner, or as his address states "prisoner #999143". This was about 3 weeks ago.
Well, today I went to check the mail for any more Christmas presents that I had ordered for people, and I received a present myself when this this small manilla envelope came in the mail for me!

I was a little stunned that corresponding with a prisoner, let alone a death row inmate took so little time. When I told my professor that I sent the letter out she said expect it to take longer than a month to get back to you. Welp, she was wrong!
The letter I sent him contained some general information about myself, my past, and my views on the death penalty.


The main reason behind sending the letter was to hear from him about conditions on death row at the Polunsky Unit (which is on the label in the picture), his views on the death penalty, and his opinions on the process and how he has lived his lived while incarcerated for the last 18 years.

Hank has been granted 2 stays of executions, and one of them was 20 minutes before he was to be executed. He has experienced everything this system has to offer except for being given the pentobarbital-filled needle. As you can see on the envelope it says that two photos are enclosed, and initially I was a little nervous to open because I wasn't sure how he would react to some random college student trying to strike up a conversation about all of the details that surround his possible execution.

You may be asking "What exactly did he send you?", and here is the list of what was inside.

- 2 photos of himself during interview from 2011
- an 18 page handwritten letter (9pgs front and back)
- Issue #35 of Hell Hole News (This is a newsletter he writes himself and publishes it online)
- A draft of what will be HHN #36 with commentary from himself

Needless to say I was mind-blown by the amount of effort he put into gathering all of this material for me, writing such an intelligent and clear letter, and answering all of my questions. I also felt really bad when I saw a stamp for $5.15 on the letter, and realized that I probably used up a lot of his commissary money by making him spend the money to send me a letter back :(



I'm hoping that I can keep up my conversation with him on whatever things we decide to discuss, but most of all I just want him to know that he has someone to talk to. He has been interviewed by famous film producer Werner Herzog (watch it here) and many other people. I'm super thankful (as I'm sure he is) that he currently does not have an execution date set because of DNA testing that is currently going on in his case. I want to keep learning more from him gaining his perspective on things because talking to him will give me information that no generic textbook will be able to give me.


IF this post sparks any sort of conversation, I would love to do a follow up post to this and start a discussion on here with people as well, not because I'm looking to argue or assert some sort of authority over those I disagree with, but because I find this topic extremely interesting.

So for anyone that reads this, I'm hoping my view on the death penalty is still pretty well hidden, and hopefully this post will intrigue someone to start their own conversation with someone facing death. Sending a letter is so easy, but I can infer from the response I got from Hank that it really does mean a lot.

Take all of this into consideration, and if you'd like to know more details about the information he sent me I could totally do a more in depth post, or maybe even a video on what he had to say!

Thanks for the read.


Kyle

October 2012 LSAT - How did you do?

So I know that I make this all about Starcraft 2, but I also have a life outside of this game (hence why barely ever have time to post).
Warning: This isn't one of those confidence boosting stories, it's probably closer to the opposite.

So back on October 6th I took the LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, after studying for the past 3 months. I didn't use fancy Kaplan test prep courses that cost $2,500, or hire a private tutor to teach me the ins and outs of the test. I bought 2 practice books that covered the whole test, as well as a little prep book that focused solely on logic games, and I tried to teach myself.

I struggled with most of the sections while I practiced. It made me so excited to be getting 13-15 right on each section. One of the prep books came with a free full LSAT online. I took this before I studied anything, and ended up scoring a 142. The test is scored on a scale of 120-180, so this was not a good score at all.

I watched videos online explaining how to master each of the sections, read the review books, and did practice sets daily. I still wasn't getting anywhere, and it was frustrating because I feel like I'm grasping the concepts but the results aren't showing it. From August-October I suspended my social life to study with every free minute I had. Around the end of September I signed up for a free "mock" LSAT that the Princeton review was offering at one of their offices. I took the test, and after a week found out that I had scored a 144.

Being a week out from the real thing, I knew that I wasn't progressing fast enough and was seriously questioning how well I could do. My goal was to get at least a 150 on the October test because this scores usually lies right around the average score for most students, and would give me a decent shot (combined with letters of recommendation, GPA, and resume) at getting into at least a couple law schools. I knew that I couldn't compete with the super-distinguished HSY-striving students who had been studying for the last half a year through prep classes, but also just having the natural talent to do well at this of stuff. It was unrealistic to think I could score anywhere near the 170 + range.

October 6th came around, I felt prepared and positive for the most part. I had the logic games and their different boards racing through my head, and also what my technique would be for answering the logical reasoning sections (I now know this strategy needs some tuning). I stayed calm during the test for the most part and I completed each section right on time, feeling confident about my performance with each passing section.

The scores were rumored to come out on October 29th, but Hurricane Sandy ended up shutting down the LSAC, so they were not able to release the scores, but they said that they planned on having them released by Thursday, November 1st. It was the longest week of my life, as well as the most anxious-excited I've even been about getting a test back. Yesterday, around 6:30 pm, I sat glued to my computer while furiously refreshing my email, eagerly waiting for what could be a score that would further my dreams of becoming a lawyer. I wanted this so bad.

The email came in, and it read "Your October 2012 LSAT score is 145.  The percentile rank is 27." The wave of emotions that came over me were a mix of disappointment in myself, and just sadness that I hadn't achieved what I set out to do. Based on my feelings from taking the test, I just expected to do so much better than that. I actually thought I might see a 150, that's how confident I was that I had improved. In the end, I had manged to bring my score up 1 little point.

Luckily for me, the December LSAT is coming up and I'm already registered. I have one month to figure out how to, not conquer, but be more proficient on this test. I want that 150 at least, but I know that I can push myself for so much better. I have one month to drill as hard as I can. One month, to try to push my prep test scores higher and higher.

My next couple posts might be reflective on how well/bad I'm doing in practice, along with how I'm scoring in each section.

How did everyone else's scores go? Hopefully, and probably, better than mine -_-
I'll be focusing particularly on logical reasoning, so if any of you have good techniques for tackling these types of questions feel free to post a response. Thanks!

21st Birthday Awesomeness

 So this one won't be ANYTHING about StarCraft 2 because, as you read from the title, I just celebrated my 21st Birthday!

I got to do so many cool things, and hang out with so many people. So here's how my day broke down:
July 4th - Got up bright and early and headed to Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA so I could do some gambling, check out the bar, and check out all the table games. Its only been open for 2 years or so and it looks beautiful on the outside, and even nicer on the inside. It was built on old Bethlehem Steel facility, and I think it was a great use of the space to bring some life back to area. 
After the morning casino session with my family and co, we went back to my house for a BBQ and pool party where we hung out for a little while longer.
Once all of the family left, I went back to Sands with Jenna so check into a room that my parents generously rented for us to be able to have a place to go back to after we have some more drinks on the floor. We checked into our room around 9pm and from out window we were able to watch an unbelievable fireworks show. We could see professional shows, backyards bricks being lit off, and just watching the sky light up. It was a pretty spectacular moment.

I only lost $20 in the morning on the slots, so I had plenty to play with for the evening session. Jenna and I spent some time ordering drinks at the bar, and after getting out first $14 bill for 2 drinks we decided it would be wiser to pay $1 each time we get a drink from the waitresses walking around the slots! It worked out great as we were able to get...I  don't know...like 6 free drinks together? That would have cost a FORTUNE at the bar, so smart move on our part. Unfortunately I wasn't able to hit it big on my birthday, and we ended up feeding the machines about $100. I had a drunken blast doing it though! I'm probably done playing slots for while, and I'm sure not a lot of you know this about me, but I played a lot of online poker before it was shut down. I was very eager to just watch the live poker tables. Of course I wanted to play, but I was A. Intimidated and B. not willing to break my rule of playing poker while I drink. I know that sounds cheesy, but I play poker to win against others and I need a clear head to try to do that. I don't have a problem playing slots and drinking because there is nothing I can do to beat the house without all luck because they have the edge. I hope that makes sense.
Next time I go I will sit down and play, but it being my first time in the casino I was just a little to nervous and anxious to play.

Slot machines lined all of the walkways. 1 cent, 2 cent, $.25, $1, $2, and I think I saw a $5 slot!

I LOVED the lighting. It was easy on the eyes and just looked awesome. Those curved wooden pieces surrounded the bar which was located right in the middle of the floor.

My girlfriend Jenna and I played a lot of slots, and took advantage of the free drinks! We mainly stuck to 2 cent slots because then we could lose money slower :D

The poker section. They had PLENTY of $1/$2, 2-5, and I even saw a table of 10-20 :O

Just another angle. I looked really well put together, and I'm excited to sit down at a table next time.

July 5th - So my parents had told me in their card that I opened on the 4th that their present was a surprise and I wouldn't get to experience it until the next day. So 6 pm rolls around on July 5th, and we all hop in the car and I have to close my eyes until we get there -_-

We get out and I have no clue where I am until i see a sign on the wall that says "Hunterdon Ballooning" -- I'M GOING ON A BALLOON RIDE?!
Yes, my parents had bought me a spot on a balloon, and they would be chasing me in their car. After the pilot offered 1/2 price for someone else to go up with me my little brother Ryan asked, asked again, until he finally cracked and semi-agreed to do. I think he was a little afraid of what he was getting himself into, but in the end must have loved it. Here's only a few shots of that adventure:

Me and my little brother Ryan! There was a total of 5 people including the pilot in that little basket.

"Smokin' Joe" was a friend of the pilot of the balloon, and he flew around in circles and drew smoke rings around us. THAT was a really cool/slightly terrifying experience.

We took off with that balloon that was flying for the same guy. We ended up so far apart!

This was probably one of the highest points we flew too. I was comfortable by now, and the view was AMAZING.

The balloon ride on top of everything else really was an amazing experience. I got to do and see so much, and do all of it with everyone that I love. I would say those were a pretty amazing 2 days. I will be thanking everyone that took part in, helped make possible, gave me presents, or just wished me a happy 21st for a while. I loved every second of it.

PS - Back to StarCraft 2 videos/posts shortly. I haven't played in a week or so. Gold is going to be kicking my ass for a WHILE to come.

Graduation Day!

So my super awesome girlfriend Jenna just graduated from college! <3 She has been working non-stop for the last 4 years in multiple roles around campus, and has done so much in her 4 years at Castleton. I had the opportunity to sit under the tent for the graduation ceremony. Under the tent is where the magic happens, and because the graduating classes have gotten so big there isn't enough room for everyone to actually watch their loved ones graduate.
Her grandparents decided to stay in the theater where they were streaming the entire thing. This was a really cool idea because it kept them out of the heat and away from the insanity that was getting out of under the tent. That is how a ticket opened up for me to use!

I think this picture is awesome, and does a great job of depicting just how excited Jenna was. I also got to see a lot of my other friends as they proceeded in, and got their degrees.









What happens after all the graduates the leave the tent? MASS PICTURE TAKING OF COURSE

So I fulfilled the role of cameraman for a while and Jenna got together with all of her friends.

(She's on the far right, what a cutie!)
:D





On our last day in the Castleton we went to a house party to hang out with a bunch of friends for one last time, and it was a lot of fun in the beginning, until some party-goers got in each others faces and then drama ensued. But nonetheless it was a great last night with some great people.

We got back to the dorms around 4a.m. and got to sleep together in Jenna's room not only on her eggs crates and comfy blankets, but also on my memory foam that I brought over the night before! It. Was. Heaven. We were up around 10a.m. to drop some of my stuff off at her grandparents, and we had lunch with them as well. From here, we took one last full drive through the campus and then we hit the road with the final destination being NJ.

Now, I'm going to be a senior at Castleton next year.
.......
I'm sure you've connected the dots by now. Jenna and I are a year apart. This obviously has several implications for next year. Luckily my schedule worked out really well and I don't have class on Monday(except for 1-1:50), Wednesday, or Friday. I want to try to make it home for a couple weekends in between our five week breaks we get so that I can spend time with Jenna <3. I think we both know how hard it is going to be to be 5 hours away from each other for the next school year, and an hour away from each other over the summer. I know that we can do this. We need to start as soon as we get our graduate school test scores back to pick our schools, and see where we can live together.
Living together has been something that we have always yearned to do. We both know that we would get along so well, and we would be the cutest. Jenna could cook us awesome dinners, and I could do the dishes (because she HATES dishes). She would make the apartment look SO GOOD, and I would probably just keep asking for a room with black walls (not clue why i want this so bad), and her answer would inevitably be no as it always has and probably, for the sake of appearance, should be.

Before getting into an apartment together, we both know that we have some pretty monstrous obstacles to tackle, both individual and as a couple, but I am so positive in knowing that we can do this. Getting to spend the last 2 years dating Jenna have been the most amazing of my life. She makes me feel special, loved, cared for, any word you could think of. She just makes me feel complete. I know that she will do great in finding a job for the next year, and rocking out the classes she will be taking in preparation for graduate school. I know that WE will stay just as strong apart as we have been together, and nothing can break the bond that we share with each other. I just know it.

We are perfect for each other in every way possible.

I love you Jenna <3