New Braunfels and Beyond!…
February 8th, 2008 by Jon Wood. Popularity: 24%.I’m going to try to get into the habit of posting to at least 1 of my dozen different blogs each day over the next few weeks…
First, a little update on my life as of the past 6 months (since my post on my return from Memphis and being swept up in True Brotherhood)… I came back, I told what I had learned, I championed the cause, and the result? I got a few small things implemented but more or less it was business as usual for my chapter…
The big energy expenditure for me last semester was our First Annual Alumni Homecoming Banquet (I know, it should be “Inaugural” but the invitations were already printed by the time that was pointed out to me!)… anyway, that dominated my life, tanked my grades, and gave me no end of stress (that is until it was over and I celebrated by drinking libations to a near-comatose state… I’m happy to say I learned a lesson and that was the last time I’ve done that!)…
Anyway, so last semester I got very very very stressed for many many many reasons, not the least of which was my position in the fraternity; not just my office, mind you, but as a leader and a progressive idealist who is constantly looking to better the status quo (and whose happiness was ultimately tied to the implementation of his ideas… more on that later in the post)
This semester looked to be starting the same way; I’m continuing in my office as High Rho (despite graduating mid-term, when I’ll leave the business of alumni affairs in the capable hands of a close friend and an integral member of my Alumni Affairs Committee since its inception a couple years ago), I’m taking 14 credit hours of advanced biology in a daunting attempt to actually graduate on time in May (my courses consist of Comparative Vertebrate Physiology, Embryology, Virology, and Medical Botany, any 1 of which could be the backbone of its own “difficult semester”!), AND to top it all off, I’m starting my own business! (I have another blog where I plan to go into more detail about that, plus, I’ve started a video blog or a “vlog” on YouTube to keep friends and family updated - if you’re interested in that or you’d just like to put a face to my name, you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/jwbbccp )
So right now, I’ve pretty much got 3 full-time jobs… a full-time student (with all the franticness (sp?) that naturally accompanies trying to graduate), a full-time fraternity brother (I’ll post more about my actual house contributions at a later time, my hands are getting tired and I’ve still got to get ready for my test-heavy next week - 4 tests in 4 days… fun stuff), and a full-time entrepreneur (if you’re interested in that, the name of my business is Hurricane K-9 Waste Removal and my website is http://hurricanek9waste.googlepages.com - keep in mind though, that I literally just came up with the IDEA for the company about a month ago, and there’s still a lot of progress to be made…)
Why, you may ask, then would I spend my invaluable time, of which I have WAY too little of, blogging? Well, honestly, that’s a question for another time (and probably another site!)…
Yours in ZAX,
Jon Wood EY1392
High Rho
University of Tulsa
P.S. Oh yeah, I just got back from the leadership retreat in New Braunfels (great time! - very similar to Memphis, with a similar reception on my return) and our ELC, Curtis, is probably sitting in room 13 of our house as I type - I just had a meeting with him last night that went very well and I believe I’m performing my office to the best of my ability (speaking of which, I have a monthly newsletter I’m sending out exclusively via e-mail; it’s obviously very my-chapter related, but if you’d like to get on the list anyway, just send an email to me at eyalumni@gmail.com and I’ll get you added on…)
I believe our chapter can, and will, progress, but having celebrated our 75th anniversary last year, it’s a pretty big boat and it doesn’t turn on a dime; luckily, for my sanity, through the self-development of my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve learned to detach myself from the outcomes of my endeavors and to not rely on external results for internal satisfaction (i.e. while I believe True Brotherhood is the way of the future and am very open as such, if my chapter chooses not to implement it I won’t consider myself a failure for having not convinced everybody to my way of thinking)