Baylor's RGIII Wins The Heisman "A Story Of Perseverance"

      Baylor's very own Robert Griffin III or RGIII just recently won the Heisman award, making him the first player to ever get the award within Baylor history. This is a story about perseverance, about hope, faith and teamwork. RGIII's first two years weren't bad but they weren't significant years as well, then he got hurt and could not play his third year causing him to have to sit out for the whole season last year. Baylor did not do that amazing last year, in fact we were pretty bad, but though the team could not pull off any miracles the fans stuck together and never let go of the faith that they were placing on their heroes on that field.

     RGIII did come back the following year, this year, and played even better than he had before, its as if the year he was injured was a necessity in order to bring out his full potential. Not only though did he come back fully recovered, he came back and united the team, he showed the team that sliver of hope they needed to see in order to keep their spirits alive and thus Baylor finished with one the best seasons they have ever had and RGIII became the first Baylor student to receive the Heisman. Perseverance stories are always a great reminder to us all, that you should never give up, never surrender and always pick yourself up when you fall.

     "This is the biggest thing that has ever happened in Baylor!" Shouted Dr. Lefever, a grad school professor. The uproar could be heard throughout the whole campus, some have said, celebrations took place everywhere that there was a Baylor student, no matter where they were there was excitement. The fact that RGIII is a super nice guy helps as well, here we're talking the ultimate leader and a gentleman, the guy has it all, everyone that has met him loves him, and those that don't love him at least respect him, those are rare qualities to find now-a-days and thus should be recognized. "RGIII should be the poster child of the NCAA. Great player, student, and impact on the Waco community" said Robbie Matteson of the Truett community within Baylor.

       Baylor has also done very well within other realms in the sports world, they have the number one ranking women's basketball team, and the guys team is not far behind at seven, both teams are undefeated, women's at 11-0 and guys at 9-0. The women's team also boasts having one of the best players within the NCAAW B.Griner who will ultimately win all the awards within that competition as well. Thus Baylor is a beast, they are not a huge school, though they have tons of spirit and only god knows what this school will do in the future. A true lesson on never giving up.

        "There has never been a more deserving Heisman trophy winner than RGIII. He has given an entire city a figure to rally behind and he is an amazing football player. He is the savior of BU football which was a disaster before he and Coach Art Briles arrived. He transcended football and put Baylor on the map. Griffin winning the Heisman was Christmas come early for Baylor and Waco" says grad student Ryan Saunders.

      The big question on Baylor's mind right now is if RGIII will go pro or will stay another year at Baylor, hopeful fans litter the stands in hope that he will consider staying another year and leading the Baylor Bears to further heights. All RGIII has said in comment has been "I'm not thinking about all that yet, for now I just want to stay focused on what is ahead and lead the Bears into a Bowl victory". Great things to come from this player, and from this school, stay tuned.

     Christmas is right around the corner, so take a deep breath and beat this week, rest is coming.

Love from your humble blogger,

Thank You For Itunes Steve

    One of the biggest changes that came to the world because of the work and brilliance that Steve Jobs had was the creation of Itunes, before we had Itunes we had cd stores and no one likes cd stores. When you walk into a cd store generally you are bombarded with choices, tons of movies, tons of cds, and you have that one store clerk that keeps following you throughout the store asking you if you need help, though I'm exaggerating a bit you have to admit that you have faced this issue before, it was a reality, thanks to Steve it no longer has to be.

    The brilliance behind getting everyone on board Itunes is something that should be admired, though this is not the point I wish to focus on that does not mean everyone should not look that history up, I recommend it, it's brilliant stuff. The part about Itunes which doesn't get talked about much because of everyone just "knowing" about it, is its incredible affect on your everyday life. If music shapes your life in any way then this evolution to Itunes impacted you in a similar fashion, and oh do we love it.

    There are a few dangers to Itunes though, nothing big, but still dangers. Because the Itunes on your phone is connected directly to your credit card you never really see how much you are spending, thus you end up spending more money than you should on music. In fact that is the biggest genius move by Jobs, by creating a virtual music store that is always next to you, he created a medium for you to spend you money without abandon every time you heard a song you liked. This is a dangerous thing, for if you don't watch out you might end up spending a lot of money on Itunes, if you don't believe me then look at your own account and see how much you've spent, trust, its usually more than you thought. 

     Itunes has really helped in amazing ways though, like the fact that our music is priced fairly is a big deal, before Itunes came along we would drop $15-$20 bones on a good cd, now-a-days everything is $9.99 and that is a beautiful thing. The ability to buy songs separately was a genius move as well, there are so many bad cds out there that have one and two good songs in them, it was always an obnoxious thing that now we don't have to deal with anymore. Like any other store Itunes also does deals, meaning they have a "deal of the day/week" that occurs from time to time where you can find some really good stuff for really cheap.

     In closing, there is something beautiful about hearing a song and being able to purchase it right there on the spot and listen to it without having to spend more money than you wanted and have to deal with those pesky cd wrappers, I've always hated how they wrap cd cases, its ridiculous how difficult they make them to open, in the words of Ellen "Why are cds so hard to unwrap, being that they are sturdy and all, and on the other hand we have lamps who are super fragile but come in flimsy cardboard wrappings". In short we have a lot to thank Jobs for, so much, and one accomplishment we should never take for granted is the creation of Itunes.

    So put on your favorite song, and have a blast this Friday, we hope you have a glorious one.

Love from your humble blogger, 

Moving Pains

     During this time of year some of us find ourselves in the annoying process of moving, from a lease that just ran out, to a new apartment, end of semester dorm move, either way, it is a tedious process. There are a few methods to the madness of moving that could facilitate your life, a few steps you could take that will make a significant difference and aid you a lot:

Reliable Truck Friend

      It is always important to make sure that at all time in your life you have at least one friend who owns a truck is dating a guy who owns a truck or is best friends with someone who owns a truck. A reliable truck friend is a must, he or she know of their duty of aiding others with their truck and usually they are glad to help. This is a big deal though, one you should consider in advance before you begin the moving process. Yes you could rent a truck but then you'll have to pay for the truck and you won't have the extra help, which again proves that having that friend who owns a truck trumps all other options. Buying them lunch after they help you is not a must, but recommended.

Keep A Weather Lookout

     Always make sure to check when it will rain for you do not want to start moving your stuff when its raining, or the chances of rain are high. I've lost two couches and a TV due to poor planning and bad weather, it's better to wait than to risk it, trust. So even before you phone that truck friend you should make sure to look up when the weather will be favorable, so as to plan things better and to not waste the "reliable truckers" time.

Cleaning Products

     While you are packing don't forget to leave a few cleaning products behind for last. Once you are done packing and your place is empty there will be a need for cleaning to be done, hence saving the cleaning supplies. Nothing worse than finishing a whole packing session, moving everything, and then realizing that you need to clean the old place still and end up having to open a bunch of boxes till you find those pesky cleaning products. Please don't make this mistake, I assure you, its rather annoying.

Keep Old Boxes

      You should always make sure to have a few old boxes laying around for you never know when you'll need them, specially if you ever have to move. There is an art to saving things, I do not mean hoard all the boxes you can find, I do mean, save 5-7 boxes in a closet somewhere within your home that will aid you when you have to move again, this is specially useful if you know that you will be moving very soon. A wise course of action overall.

Call Good Friends

     Personally I have a policy to never call friends unless they offer to help, and even when they offer to help, never abuse their aid but instead, always call them only when you need them and reward them for their help, a meal works nicely. Being careful and courteous when dealing with helpful friends is not only good for the future of your friendship but also for your next move, if you treated them fairly they will be willing to help again, thus being a good friend in return is always the best policy.

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    And there you go, a few things that will make your moving experience a little less hectic, for moving is never fun.

Love from your humble blogger,

SD Rewind: Calling All Dancers!!!

        If you wear So'Dança dance wear or shoes, we want to hear from you! Send me an email at anne@sodanca.com and tell me a little bit about yourself. Are you a dance student? Professional dancer? Teacher? What product of ours do you use and how long have you been using it? Do you own a dance store and have a customer you are particularly proud of?

        So'Dança provides clothing and shoes to thousands of dancers in the U.S.A. alone. We are a very large family and would love to include you and your news on our Internet social network pages. Have you received an award, a scholarship? Taken any memorable dance trips? Do you have photos or a video of a performance you'd like to share? Send it on to us and we will be happy to include you in our So Dancer news.

        Bringing the world closer together, one dancer at a time! So'Dança is always there for you!

anne@sodanca.com

  --- Anne Polajenko
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  Thank you for everyone that already got in touch with us! Because of the positive response these last few months, we felt like we should re-post this entry every other month or so in order to let everyone that didn't get a chance to be involved a chance to participate. <3


      Love from your humble blogger,

Flu Season Advice

      Starting at around October going through the end of winter we face the threat of the flu, and what an annoying threat it is. Personally it always hits me mid November or early December, its like clockwork for me, being that we're pretty much all on the same boat, here is a list of things you can do in order to recover quickly or to avoid getting sick in the first place, I hope it is a help to you:

Getting the Flu Shot

      Though this one is a given not everyone decides to get a shot every year, personally I'm one of those people. Wallgreens always has them available and every year I think "Nah, I'll be fine this year", and then I get sick and regret not getting the shot to begin with. There isn't really an over-arching reason as to why some of us don't take the shot, maybe it's a feeling of invulnerability, maybe it's laziness, or maybe a little of both, but if you haven't gotten the flu yet this season, then getting the shot might be a good idea.

DayQuil/NyQuil

      There are a lot of flu medicines out there, Mucinex D being the strongest and best one in my opinion, but for the common cold or the random flu out there, I've found that the Quil's work wonders, any product by Vicks is a reliable bet, they know what they are doing. NyQuil is perfect for me because it does not leave me groggy the next day, though I understand that medicines hit people differently thus this could not be the case for you, for me it's the best "nighttime relief" in the market.

Tea

   
    Tea is definitely one of the best ways to go about helping yourself recuperate, it helps in many ways, from hydration, to a soothing feeling. Whenever you start feeling a sore throat coming drink a cup of "Organic Throat Coat" from Traditional Medicinals. This particular tea brand is known for making various different products that can aid your healing with organic means, which is awesome, so though you'll be fighting the flu with all the prowess of science, you'll also be facing it with the magnificent abilities that Mother Earth has, plus when your medicine is telling you that "to enhance benefit, add honey" there can be no wrong with that medicine.

Vitamins

     The plural here is important, yes Vitamin C is the big focus during the flu season, but you cannot neglect all the other vitamins that your body needs and focus on C alone. Thus find a "One a Day" that you like, meaning, a vitamin that has your suggested daily amount and also take a vitamin C with that. Of course you can always go and get your vitamins from food, which is always a fun way to go about things, but for that college student that is broke Multi-Vitamin pills are a life-saver.

Food

     Malnutrition is a killer, this can cause your flu to hang around for a while, or cause your body to be vulnerable and fall prey to the flu, either way its bad news. Therefore remember to eat a balanced diet even before you get sick. If you do get the flu then chicken soup is always a good choice, avoid fried foods, spicy foods, anything too sweet, and focus on getting better. A good breakfast is essential, cereal being one of the best ways to go about it. Just remember that your body can only do so much, giving your body proper fuel is a must if you expect it to perform as it should.

Rest/Play

   Rest is important, getting plenty of sleep is a must for it gives your body time to recover. While you are asleep your body takes the time to fight whatever ills your body is facing, thus sleeping is an important factor when you face the flu. Though most people that face the flu don't have the problem of needing encouragement when it comes to sleeping, a factor we forget about is that our bodies need the sun, that going outside and just walking around even can be a great aid to you while you are sick. Your psychological approach to the illness does play a significant role when it comes to your recovering, specially from the flu. The person that is ready to face the day and fight life head on, while getting plenty of rest and vitamins, will recover faster than the person that is depressed/gloomy laying in bed feeling like there is no hope to be found in life. The human "will" is a powerful thing, and should not be underestimated, ever.

  Hopefully none of you will be facing the flu anytime soon, its never a fun endeavor, surely not one anyone wishes for. Have a glorious Friday, full of joy and laughter, and to those that are sick with the flu out there, have a quick recovery and watch tons of awesome movies.

Love from your humble blogger,

YouTube's Downfall?

      Recently YouTube has taken to inserting more and more advertisements within their site, and that's never a good move. In the beginning there were no advertisements within the Tube and all was well, we could go and watch videos at our own leisure without having to bother with pesky ads popping up. Then one day the ad popping started, we were annoyed about it, but the ads were easily closed down so there were no lasting effects. Some of us started to worry about the future of the Tube, will they sell out? Will this site see its doom? Will we ever get to see the good old days of no ads again? And then the Tube dropped the ball, big time.

      YouTube has a large number of users, true, thus they feel that they have finally hit the point where they can do whatever they want on their site and it won't matter, that the people won't rise up to say anything, boy are they wrong. How did the Tube sell out, you may ask, it's simple. By adding full length ads before, and sometime even in the middle of videos, these are not pop up ads like before, no, these are full length ads. Now you might say, "but this has been happening before!" and I would agree with you, but not to this scale. YouTube was originally making big companies add the beginning ads but the other videos had no reason to suffer such a fate, now though everyone is on the same boat, and it's a crappy boat.

 
    If we start thinking about other video streaming sites and what happened to them we can see a trend occurring, and also we can begin to speculate as to what the future of the Tube might be. Let's take Hulu for example, Hulu progressively got worse on their ads as well, to the point that now watching regular Hulu is a tedious and almost ignored feature within their site. To make matters worse Hulu created a paid portion, Hulu Plus, but to make matters even worse still Hulu Plus now has ads within it. Yeah, you read that right, there is no escape, you start selling out, you start thinking that you can do whatever you want and the quality of service starts to drop.

    Now you might say, "so whats the point here?", the point is simple Hulu is dying, and will soon pass away, and thus will YouTube follow its opponent to the grave. This will occur when another site arises, another site that decided to take up the mantle that YouTube has dropped, which will definitely happen. The internet is a fickle thing, one must keep moving forward in order to stay afloat. Even the Titan Facebook has its own fair share of battles, the latest being against Google + and Facebook has come out victorious so far, but only because Facebook started to improve on areas that they were slacking, competition is a beautiful thing really.

    So what does the future hold for the Tube? Only time will tell, its silly that companies think that they will never be overturned, the internet is not a mistress to be trifled with, he who thinks he is a master of the internet will surely see his doom, if history has taught us one thing it is that this statement is true. What do you think will happen to the video sharing Titan?

    Love from your humble blogger,

The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer

       So finals are right around the corner for a lot of you, and though that is always a tough unfortunate time, we at So Danca wanted to extend our hopes and confidence in you and tell you to not give up, that you can do this, once it is done you'll feel much better and then Christmas will be upon you full of foods and presents!

      And though Christmas is still a few weeks away here are a few things you can do to to cheer yourself up and get in the spirit of the season! This list could be endless, really, but here are a few of our favorites:

     Putting up the Christmas tree is always a great way to ready yourself for the holidays, its a transition symbol. Once the tree is up and you are beheld by its beauty and all that comes with it,  you cannot help but to smile and look forward to what is to come. Be it putting the tree up with family or at school with friends, this is always a great idea, specially if you are missing home.      

     Watching classic and new Christmas movies is always a great one too, from "The Grinch", to "Elf", to "Love Actually", to "A Christmas Carol", and of course the four classics, "White Christmas", "Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story". There you go, if your excuse was that you didn't know any movies to watch now you have nine to watch, if you're a guy and are looking at me saying something along the lines of "There are no good guy movies on that list, so I'm not watching them", well here you go then, my favorite "guy" Christmas movies, "Die Hard", "Gremlins", "Scrooged", "Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Bad Santa", there you go, no excuses now, everyone can get in the Christmas spirit together.

    An oldie but a goodie, depending on where you live and such, is caroling. Caroling is a lost art, one I myself am not a huge fan of, though I do enjoying carolers, and everyone that I've met that does go out caroling always have a ton of fun and come back really happy, as if by singing to strangers they made their lives better, and you know what? I bet they do, I bet they do indeed.

   Now we could end this entry with saying watch fun youtube videos of people going to crazy on their light shows at their houses, and that would have been an ok ending, but there is one more way that you can get in the Christmas spirit, a simple way, and personally I find to be one of the most rewarding ways, and that is starting your Christmas shopping. There is something to giving someone a gift that really uplifts your spirit, it can be something small, something you made, something big even, whatever the gift might be, being able to give something to someone you care about is a great thing. So go to the mall, or if you're low on money then beginning making something, maybe a mix cd, or a framed picture, and start getting the presents on your Christmas list bought. Then go on youtube and watch some videos, lol.

   Be encouraged, love much, remember to rest, surround yourself with those you love, and have a great week.

Love from your humble blogger,