As many of you know, Patrick Woehnker died early this morning.

I cannot pretend I'm not shocked and stung by this news. I just cant believe it. I met him on his first day on campus...

It was on Freshman Saturday, and I was Patrick's Orientation Guide. I was suppose to introduce he and his freshmen tutorial class to Wabash. During those first couple of days, I liked him because he was funny and sarcastic... he made me laugh. I took them to do a community service project, and I guess I was cracking the whip on the freshmen. I made sure they were always doing something whether it was painting or picking up the trash. Patrick made sure to criticize me... He made it clear that he thought I was not working hard enough. He tried pushing his paint brush in my hand a couple of times. He really made me laugh.

I cant say I saw him frequently after Freshmen Orientation, but he did come to Beta for a couple of parties. He was here last weekend. It blows me away because I didn't even speak to him. I saw him, but I just didn't get a chance to ask how he was enjoying his freshmen year. I never got to see how he liked his Freshmen Tutorial. I never even got to ask if he enjoyed Wabash after these first 3 months. I hope he liked his time here.

It saddens me so much because he was a normal kid. Who really thinks this could happen to just a regular kid. A kid you may bump into on the mall. A kid you may bump into at a party. A kid you may sit next to in class. Whoever thinks that death can be so close to you.

I'm not sure about the circumstances of his death, but all I know is that he was just like me. Sarcastic. Goofy. And not too sure what he wants to major in.

So, Patrick, I write this for you. I know your family, pledge class, and friends on campus are mourning and missing you right now. I pray you may be at peace. 1

Posted by Daniel King at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend, I had a worthwhile experience. I carved pumpkin. APO sponsored this pumpkin carving for the youth of Crawfordsville. Since all the kids were carving pumpkins, I decided to do one myself. Now I know this may sound silly to you, but I’ve never done anything like that before. Carving pumpkins isn’t exactly a popular Memphis tradition. When I told people this was my first time ever carving a pumpkin, they had a look of disgust on their face. They asked, “How could have missed out on this as a child.” Well, I wanted to say, “I’m sorry I didn’t grow up on the farm and my family didn’t have a pumpkin patch in the backyard just for the kids to sculpt on Halloween.” But I chose not to say this. I simply smiled and said I don’t know how I could have missed out.

By the time I finished my pumpkin, I was proud. It was suppose to be a ghost, and people could actually tell that it was a ghost. It was the highlight of my day.

Next, I participated in the Moot Court semi-finals Monday. They were a lot harder than I expected. The fake Supreme Court case they gave the Moot Court participants wasn’t so fake at all. The case is actually real and is going in front of the Supreme Court next year. Furthermore, one of the judges of Moot Court was actually a Wabash grad who is arguing the very case in front of the Supreme Court. Needless to say, he spanked all the participants. It was not fun.

Imagine constructing an argument to sway the judges only to have the judges deconstruct your argument in less than a minute. Then, you have 9 minutes where still have stand there and talk. You have to think on your feet, but its still difficult because the judges keep making mince meat out of everything you say. That’s pretty much how the competition went.

I didn’t advance to the final rounds, but I am glad my friends made it through. I look forward to learning from them so next year I can take home a plaque with my name on it…lol

Posted by Daniel King at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry for my extended silence. Since I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I have been in pain. I've been in so much pain, I've considered that something was wrong. And something was... I had dry socket. If you don't know what it is, dry socket is when your wisdom teeth are pulled and the hole does not heal properly. Because the hole does not heal, there is an exposed nerve in the month. So every time I took a breath or spoke, my mouth would throb.

I went to the dentist Friday and they placed this thing in my mouth to stimulate tissue growth. All in all, I'm doing better.

This past Friday evening, I went to a haunted house in Indy. Talk about disappointing.... I don't know what was worse... the 13-year-old kids parading as vampires or the low budget and unrealistic decorations inside the haunted house. This haunted house has been advertised as one of the scariest in Indy, but their target audience was clearly middle school kids.

After I attended the haunted house, I had to come home and prepare for Moot Court. Moot Court is a when students take a fake Supreme Court case and defend or represent the Petitioners and Respondents. This was first time ever engaging in something like this. I was nervous and unsure about the case I put together. I had no idea if I was going in the right direction, and by 2 am saturday morning, I was sure I had been wasting by time. 

I woke at 7:30 the next morning and arrived at the competition early to discuss the case with my partner. We talked, and he encouraged me saying that I would be ok. 

It turns out that I didn't suck after all. Both my partner and I advanced to the semi-finals! ;-) We have to compete again on Monday evening. So now, my whole Sunday is devoted to homework and Moot Court. 

I'll let you know how the competition turns out.

Posted by Daniel King at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I figure I should write now because I haven't felt like doing too much. I don't have much to say except that it hurts... My mouth is swollen and it keeps bleeding. I have been drugged out all day and hallucinating quite a bit. If anyone knows why Coach Creigton has been chasing me with a potato gun... please let me know.

Other than that, I am going to lay back down. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again. Maybe when I don't Hydrocodone to fall asleep. 

Posted by Daniel King at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm having surgery this week. I don't think its anything you call major surgery. I'm just having my wisdom teeth taken out. A lot of people have already said that its not that bad. Your mouth swells, there is some soreness, and you can't eat solid food for a few days... it doesn't sound that bad, right?

I admit that I was a little freaked out when I met with my dentist. He said that I need to have an IV in my arm to have the surgery... That's a problem. I am terrified of needles... I just don't like them. But everything should be ok because they said they would give me laughing gas before they stuck any needles in me. It makes feel better because I think I'll be too high on the gas to remember anything.

Other notable things on campus... Fall Break! 

I think that's enough said on that topic... even though I will be suffering and re-cooperating from my surgery, I need my break. It's time. It's been time. I don't have any plans... maybe bowling. 

Until next time. 

Posted by Daniel King at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night, I attended my first Wabash theatrical production. I tended to avoid the theatre productions last year because I assumed that they were not going to be good. This college is not necessarily known for its excellence in the performing arts. Yes, the Glee Club has a good reputation, but what else is the college really known for concerning the performing arts. How mistaken I was!

The show is excellent. I have an extremely high standard for what constitutes a good show because I attended a performing arts middle school and high school. I have seen and performed in so many productions in my day that I thought the ones at Wabash were going to be below my standard. I felt like I might be sitting through a fifth grade "Thanksgiving Day Celebration" production.

However, I was mistaken. Everything was excellent from the lighting to the costumes. I especially enjoyed one of the lead roles, Seth's, portrayal of one of the main characters Dick Loeb. In fact, the entire cast was excellent. Everyone from Kyle Cassidy to Amina McIntyre. I dont have time to highlight all the aspects of the show, but if you have time, please stop by Ball Theatre and watch. Its free and its well worth the two hours.

Posted by Daniel King at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)