Vietnam Thesis- Part XI

Map of the Easter Offensive

Part eleven, kids.

Amid waning morale and skepticism from soldiers, the first major test of the South Vietnamese army came in early 1971 with an invasion of Laos. The U.S. armed forces were relegated to protecting the ARVN from the Vietnamese side of the border. The offensive known as Lam Son 719, was a complete disaster for the South Vietnamese. After 46 days in February and March, it was clear that the South Vietnamese could not sustain another attack of that sort. Young South Vietnamese people struck back at the Americans, angry that they were now turning their backs on them. U.S. commanders, worried about attacks from Vietnamese civilians and the lack of motivation among their own troops, saw the need to end the war, no matter what. 

This idea of abandonment had long been entertained by the regular GIs, but now it was beginning to sound like an option to the commanders as well. It was evident in that Nixon’s approval rating was sliding as was opinion on his handling of the war. Everyone involved smelled the stench of death on the South Vietnamese, and saw that there was no way to persuade the American troops to continue to die in large numbers. Knowing that very little could be done to secure victory, the Nixon government went to work in 1972 hoping to at least secure peace. Apparently, the complaints of soldiers had finally reached the ears of the men in power. 

In an attempt to move the peace process forward, Nixon unveiled an eight point plan in January of 1972. In response to Nixon’s new plan, the North Vietnamese launched an all out attack on the ARVN and remaining U.S. forces in March. This was done to help give the North an upper hand in the peace process, and to pressure Nixon who was facing the presidential election in November. As with the Tet Offensive before it, the Easter Offensive caught military leaders by surprise. It is not surprising, however, that this lack of information about the attack made troops angry at their superiors. W.R. Baker, who was stationed in Da Nang during 1971 and 1972, wrote that, “The "intelligence failure" during the Easter Offensive was less a failure to collect intelligence than it was a failure to exploit obvious indicators.”

Every slight advantage that the U.S. had during the Vietnam war had been systematically taken away by the enemy, either through their cunning or our inability to take away their edge. After the Spring of 1972 you would be hard pressed to find any man in Vietnam who still fully supported the war.

O.M.G. McFlippy's

I like to eat out when I can.  Usually I will go out with my wife to a nice place, but sometimes we’ll slum it. Sometimes we’ll just pile in the car and go on down to Chili’s or TGI Friday’s or Applebee’s.  Remember when Applebee’s started that new ad campaign?  They tried to kind of upscale their ads and logo, so that it didn’t look like such a dank nightmare of a chain. I know, let’s get that good looking John Corbett to be our spokesperson, that’ll show ‘em! I’ve probably only eaten at Applebee’s three or four times, but I’ve been to Chili’s and TGI Friday’s more often, but I can tell you that I feel the same way about all of them. They suck. I’m sorry if you like to eat at these places, but to me they could all be combined into one annoying super-chain so that we could just simplify our lives.  What the hell, let’s throw Red Robin and Wingers and Johnny Rockets and Ruby Tuesday’s in there too.  That’s where we’ll be someday, there will be just one stupid super chain restaurant. It’ll have all the charm and crap that all these places have. It’ll be called O.M.G. McFlippy’s and it’ll have a slogan like- “Flip in some flavor, neighbor!” 

So, you’ll walk in and on the speakers at some ungodly decibel is some shitty old Sugar Ray song from 1998, and some girl with a headset greets you at the door, and they walk you way the hell around the restaurant into some hidden alcove somewhere where you find your table.  I didn’t even know this part of the building existed. Of course there’ll be some huge family with like seven kids at the table next to you, and there’s spilled milk and pasta and pieces of cheese all over the place. Let's see what there is to eat.

Guess what O.M.G. McFlippy's has to offer-

-So much crazy crap on the walls

            -License plates from other states? Get outta here!

            -Hub caps- no way!

            -Wacky old posters

-Drink menus with huge pictures of punch bowl sized drinks with names like-

            -Razzleberry Mucho Gusto Margarita

            -Diablo Daquiri

            -Ragin’ Cajun Mondo Mixer Martini

            -Blended Blitz Bacardi Bomb

The 80 page menu with pictures of the most garish items.

-Appetizers which include-

            -Southwestern Shrimp Sizzlers

            -Ranch Dippers

            -Potato Skin Shooters

            -Deep Fried Mozarella Finger Twisters with 6 delicious dipping sauces

            -Twelve Alarm Toxic Atomic Boneless Wings- that are so hot- you’ll shit the bed!

-Entrees

            -Salads that have more dressing than anything else

            -Jack Daniels Shrimp, Sirloin, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Scallops, Lobster, Burgers, Tripe, Veal, Lamb Chops, Pork Chops, Venison, T-Bone, Porterhouse, Filet, Flank Steak, Rib Eye, London Broil and Bacon Wrapped Cheese.

            -Fish and Chips with a 50/1 breading to fish ratio

            -Fajitas served on the hottest skillet imaginable

           

-Desserts

            -Molten Peach Cobbler

            -Molten Chocolate Thunder Volcano Cake

            -Molten Cheesecake

            -Molten Apple Strudel

            -Molten Jack Daniels Deep Fried Cookie Dough Mound with Ice Cream

And for those customers who are too obese and ashamed to come in, don’t worry because we’ll bring your 9 Appetizer platters and your Jack Daniels’ Ribwich basket out to your Dodge Neon, free of charge! 

Movie of the Week

This Week,

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986)

Starring- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan

For many, especially non-Star Trek fans, this film is known as, "the one with the whales." It is also one of the best Star Trek films. My favorite is Star Trek II, but I have a special place for this, the funniest installment in the series, in my heart. It was a conscious decision by the filmmakers to make this movie lighter in tone than the previous two, which had been darker and rife with conflict. Originally, the studio wanted to put Eddie Murphy in the movie as a 20th Century con man, but that was scrapped early on. The story instead centers around an alien probe that comes to Earth with a message, but the message is destructive to the planet and it is not known what the message is, or who it is for. It is up to the Enterprise crew to figure out how to solve the problem.

Kirk and Co., who are facing Court Martial for their actions in Star Trek III, discover that the probe's message is for the extinct species- Humpback Whale. The only way to get whales is for the crew to go back in time to the 20th Century to get them. Thanks to help from the newly resurrected Spock, the crew gets back to 1986 and finds the whales, but encounters unforeseen difficulties as well. It is so funny to see how the crew is out of their element in the present day, and because of that fact this film was entertaining to many who had never seen Star Trek before.

If I am hoping to get someone new involved in Star Trek, this is the movie I show them because of its humor and the great message it has about humanity's effect on the world. Star Trek IV is particularly relevant in 2010 because of the way in which we are changing the climate every day, and that what we do may harm the world in ways we cannot yet comprehend.

Like all great Star Trek stories, this film has an optimistic message and is driven by the iconic characters. Each member of the crew gets a moment of their own in which to shine. Among my favorites are Scotty and McCoy at the Plexiglass factory, and Spock and Kirk's argument over Italian food. Trekkie or not, you will be entertained and enlightened by this story. Happily for the audience and the crew, the end sets up yet another sequel as the new Enterprise warps off into space, going where no man has gone before- again.

Things to watch for-

Nuclear Wessels
George and Gracie
7th Heaven's Catherine Hicks as Gillian
Shatner's stunt swimming
Scotty talks to the computer
A punk gets Vulcan nerve pinched

"One damn minute, Admiral."

Don't Let a Job Define You

I rescued this from my other blog. 

It's hard not to let what you do for work define you as a person. When you meet someone new, you immediately ask them, "What do you do?" Since I have been unemployed I have had difficulty answering that question, and usually I'll say something like "nothing, right now." This is total crap, however, because even though I am out of work, I do plenty. In fact, I might be doing more things now than when I had a job, so I need to rethink how I define myself.

In our society it is hard not to fall into the trap of jobs defining us as people. We think of ourselves as lawyer, teacher, waiter, administrative assistant, etc. We don't often think of ourselves as writer, volunteer, gardener, or even parent. Jobs are what we spend much of our time doing, but rarely do they really completely define us in every facet of life. It is pretty obvious when we stop to think about it, that we are so much more than our workplace selves. I am still the same guy now that I was a year ago when I had a job, but now I think of myself differently. I was the same me when I was a waiter in college that I was as a teacher.

Try to avoid the trap of using a job to be your source of definition and self worth. If all you are is the job, go out and find something else to engage in. Unemployment offers a unique time to really examine who you are, and what you value about yourself. I'm trying to change my answer to "What do you do?" from "Nothing, right now" to something like "A lot, actually." Because, after all, that's the truth.

Co-opting the Past

It has become popular for people all over the political landscape to use history as a way to forward their agenda. This is not a new phenomenon, in fact, it is as old as the nation in which we live. Sadly, people have never been able to accurately portray the past in order to influence the present. Hindsight is always skewed, either to make the past look better or worse than it actually was. As a historian, I am appalled by how misinformed the general public is about their past. Many seek to relive prior eras that seem closer to our nation's core values and founding principles. Tea Partiers constantly invoke the "salad days" of the American Revolution and the great leaders of that time in their rhetoric. Yes, George Washington, John Adams and Co. were some of the greatest leaders we have ever known, but let's not forget that slavery and political strife were defining aspects of that time period. I hate to burst the Tea Party's bubble, but the late 18th Century wasn't like living in the Disney Cartoon- Ben and Me.

Also, let's dispel any of the rumors that the 1950's and early 1960's were so much better than the current decade. Women and African Americans, not to mention Homosexuals were all completely marginalized, mistreated and kept from being equal with straight white men. Anyone who wants to go back to the Leave It To Beaver world is forgetting these facts, as well as the fear of Communism that inspired McCarthyism, the Bay of Pigs threat, the Civil Rights Movement and the start of the Vietnam War. If you wish to invoke the past- invoke the reality of it, not the childish fantasy.

In addition to this, does anyone actually know about Adolf Hitler? Every time you turn around someone is comparing our current leaders to Hitler. I spent a majority of my undergraduate work studying Nazi Germany, and even though times are bad, I am 100% sure that the America of 2010 is nowhere near as bad as the Germany of 1944. Stop being ignorant and using the Hitler analogy when you make a political argument, please. Hitler's regime bares no comparisons with Obama's administration- no matter how many little mustaches you paint on his upper lip. I realize that sometimes it is common to exaggerate something to make a point, but unless any of our politicians in Washington engineer the mass extermination of a race of people, the Hitler comparison is not viable for any of them.

As a rule, it needs to be understood that no era, decade or century was perfect. Instead of trying to recapture bygone days, our country needs to look to the future. Times have changed too much to go backward, and the past should serve only as a lesson to learn from the mistakes we made. It isn't 1776 or 1955, it's 2010.

Movie of the Week

This week,

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

Starring- Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Who hasn't seen this movie? It has gone from a nice slice of nostalgia to a true classic in the years since its release. Even though they were well known for their work on Taxi and Family Ties, this film made Lloyd and Fox household names and big stars. I have watched and enjoyed Back to the Future and its sequels since I was a kid, and all that time I have wanted to be like guitar playing, skateboarding, time traveling Marty McFly. Too bad I can't do any of those things.

The writers sought to tell a story about what it would be like for a modern teenager to see his parents as teenagers, and how they might interact. In order to tell that story, there needed to be some device to get a kid from the '80's back to the 1950's. A time machine in the form of a DeLorean became the driving force of the plot that gets Marty McFly to Hill Valley in 1955. The DeLorean is the brainchild of Doc Brown whose invention of the Flux Capacitor is what makes time travel possible.

When Marty arrives in 1955 he is not at all comfortable and struggles to understand the basics of life as a teenager in that time. He meets his father by accident, as well as the McFly family nemesis- Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). Biff is the archetype for the high school bully and it is up to Marty to help his father challenge Biff and win the love of Lorraine (Marty's Mom) so that the future remains unaltered. Marty enlists the help of the Doc Brown living in 1955 to get his parents to fall in love and get back to 1985. There are many fabulous nostalgic moments along the way as the kids hang out at the malt shop and prepare for the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

I won't bore you with any more details from this well known movie, but I will say that it is the details that make it so special. I admit to trying to build a time machine as a kid, as well as making Nikes my shoe of choice because that's what Marty wore. Back to the Future appeals to something very basic in all of us, the joy in looking at the past fondly and relishing the future.

Things to watch for-

A young Billy Zane
A cameo by Huey Lewis
Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan
1.21 Gigawatts
Marvin Berry- Chuck's cousin
Manure

"Hey you, get your damn hands off her."

Favorite Salt Lake Places

I have lived in Salt Lake City my whole life, and as such I feel like I know it well. The city has its problems, like any city, but it also has some great local flavor. Here now are a few of my favorite hang outs/restaurants/bars/etc. in Salt Lake.

HIRES BIG H

There are three locations for this famous restaurant, but the definitive one is on 7th East and 4th South in Salt Lake. I have been eating at Hires since I was a kid, and have always loved it. Its really not very ballsy as a Salt Laker to say, "I love Hires" because, frankly, who doesn't? That is the point though, the fries, the onion rings, the frosty mugs of root beer and the Big H with that fabulous sauce are the stuff of Utah legend. The shakes and freezes are amazing too, in case you didn't already know.

THE PIE

Walk down the stairs and into the dark brick-walled pizza joint that has been feeding University of Utah students for decades, and you will be changed forever. Just like Hires, the Pie is an institution in Salt Lake. With pizza so cheesy that it makes cows cry, and pitchers of cola or beer on the table, its impossible to leave the Pie hungry or unsatisfied. While the pizza is great, the best thing is the Cheese Pull Apart with a side of ranch and marinara. Again, most people from Salt Lake will not be surprised by  my picking the Pie, but I don't care.

THE BAR X

Gone, but never forgotten, The Bar X was Salt Lake's greatest watering hole. Serving the coldest beer in town, it gained a steady following of regulars that were drawn to its no frills atmosphere and the transcendent "appetizer platter." We can only hope that when it re-opens it retains some of the dank magic that made it so great in its heyday.

Vietnam Thesis- Part X

Part ten in my ongoing series on Vietnam.

ARVN forces were now baring the brunt of the casualties and action, including the operations in Cambodia. The incursion into Cambodia was labeled a success, with the U.S. and ARVN troops destroying V.C. supply lines and necessary materials. Also, it allowed the Americans to be replaced with ARVN soldiers along the border, now that the threat had been effectively neutralized. The success of the operation in Cambodia did come with a price, as protests in the United States led to deaths at Kent State where National Guard soldiers shot four students, and at Jackson State College where two people died. Some soldiers also were not happy about the short-lived escalation of the conflict, and saw the increasing ARVN deaths as a bad omen that the NVA and Viet Cong would have their way with them as soon as the U.S. had gone home.

The GIs had stopped caring as a result of Vietnamization to a certain degree. They knew that the Vietnamese could not survive without their help, but the way the war had played out so far made many unable to sympathize. William Kalwas wrote in late 1970, “I begin to realize the futility of it all...so I participate as little as possible in all things army.” This growing apathy among U.S. soldiers during 1970 can be evidenced not only in comments like these, but in the rampant drug use in the American ranks. To dull the pain and disillusionment felt about the way the war was going, many men turned to illegal substances. 

In 1965 47 soldiers were found using drugs, and by 1970 the number had ballooned to 11,000. Of every one soldier caught using drugs it was said at the time by military intelligence that five others went undetected by the armed forces. U.S. soldier Fred Hickey said, “The majority of people were high all the time.” If a war were going well, would so many soldiers be turning to drugs? No, said the statistics of the time, as not only marijuana was available to GIs, but heroin and opium as well, with one third of the men stationed there thought to be addicted to heroin or opium. It is impossible to ignore facts like these when examining the Vietnam War. The U.S. government, while aware of these issues did not take them into account when asking men to die for their country. Drug abuse was symptomatic of things not going well, and in order to escape the harsh reality of war and of failure U.S. troops sank into a haze of smoke and altered perceptions.

Drug abuse was not the only thing affecting the performance of soldiers in Vietnam. Discipline had been on the decline ever since the initiation of Nixon’s withdrawal policy. Senior officers were increasingly met with opposition from their men, and in some cases it amounted to violence. “Fragging” became commonplace, as men killed or attempted to kill their commanders in the field. In 1970 alone, there were 2,000 fraggings. This violence and refusal to obey orders shows that the soldiers had no will to die for the cause, and saw the U.S. leadership as greatly flawed. Men were not ashamed of standing up against a superior if it meant saving lives rather than going to almost certain death, “The captain said ‘I told you to get your squad together and get out there...I just pulled out my .45 and pointed it to his head. I said, ‘Before I go out, sir, I will blow your...brains out.” These types of stories are haunting, and paint a grim picture of the chain of command in Vietnam of the 1970’s.

Movie of the Week

This week,

SNATCH (2000)

Starring- Benicio Del Toro, Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Dennis Farina

Guy Ritchie's colorful film about life in the London underworld focuses on the intertwining lives of hitmen, thieves, boxing promoters, bookies, gypsies, mob bosses and a dog as they search for a stolen diamond. Snatch is the film that made Ritchie a household name and brought him to the attention of American moviegoers. That, and his marriage to Madonna.

Snatch is a true ensemble piece, but the story's main focus and narration comes from Turkish (Statham), a boxing promoter that owes a favor to seedy mob boss, Brick Top. There are other stories that are going on at the same time, most notably the theft of a diamond by Frankie Four Fingers (Del Toro) who gets into trouble at a bookie's while trying to unload the jewel. Eventually the stories all connect in a fun and exciting climax. The story really serves as a means of introducing us to compelling characters and the diamond is really just a device in the mold of a Hitchcockian MacGuffin. With that said, I will now profile a few of the best characters in the movie because the plot is too complex to explain in a short blog post.

Mickey played by Brad Pitt is a "Pikey," or Irish gypsy who Turkish and his associate Tommy stumble upon when they go to buy a caravan. Pitt does a fabulous job as the fast talking bare knuckle boxer who despite his wiry frame is a master at laying out much bigger and stronger opponents. Oh, and he likes "dags."

Let's not forget the Russian Assassin, Boris the Blade a.k.a. Boris the Bullet Dodger. He's a degenerate gambler who has money and diamonds on the brain. He's also a tough customer, so don't cross him- unless you're prepared to run him over and shoot him...a lot.

Another member of the Snatch rogue's gallery is the bounty hunter, Bullet Tooth Tony played by Guy Ritchie discovery Vinnie Jones. Like Boris, Tony is not to be trifled with and will drag you around by your tie in his car to get some information.

Cousin Avi, played by the always watchable Dennis Farina, is the Jewish New Yorker who bankrolls the diamond theft, but is forced to come to London when things go awry. Farina gets off some great lines in his trademark style while he tries to track down Frankie Four Fingers.

Now that you have a little background, I hope that you will watch Snatch for all the other little goodies that lie within.

Things to watch for-

Men with pig farms are dangerous
The world's slowest getaway driver
The Desert Eagle
Boxing, lots of boxing

"I'm gettin' heartburn. Tony, do something terrible"

Book of the Month

This Month,

ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY

By David Sedaris

I'm annoyed with myself because it took me so long to discover David Sedaris. I was aware of his sister Amy who gained fame as Gerri Blank on the T.V show Strangers with Candy, but had never read anything by him until recently. The short vignettes he writes about his life are laugh out loud hilarious. I literally started crying while reading several of them, so you can now consider me a David Sedaris fan.

The main focus of Me Talk Pretty One Day is Sedaris' quest to learn French while living in France with his boyfriend, Hugh. There are, however, many stories that are unrelated that focus on such random topics as his brother- The Rooster, his job as a furniture mover, his father's penchant for hiding food and an encounter with a giant piece of poop. For those of you who know me, you can bet that I loved the story about poop. I did, but I also enjoyed most of the other charming, witty installments that give you a look inside the creative and sometimes twisted mind of a great writer. The chapter that focuses on his speed and cocaine fueled time as a conceptual artist is the perfect example of how he expertly walks the fine line between somewhat disturbing and riotously funny.

Sedaris is smart and spares no expense when skewering his family, friends and most of all himself. It is refreshing to read something by a person who is so willing to make fun of their foibles and experiences for the benefit of the audience. I am sad that I missed an opportunity to see him live here in Salt Lake City because I can only imagine how hilarious he is in person. I guess I'll have to solace myself with another one of his books, and that's okay with me.

Top 10 Movie Duos

Some films feature as their protagonists a team, a tandem, a pair. Here now is my list of the best onscreen duos of all time.

10. WAYNE AND GARTH

These two are the classic party pair. Appearing in two films together, they showed us the fun in head banging to Bohemian Rhapsody, hanging backstage with Alice Cooper and bagging schwing-worthy babes. Myers and Carvey were the perfect foils for each other in these roles that they originated on Saturday Night Live. Other than The Blues Brothers, they hold the distinction of having the best movie based on SNL characters. (Played by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey)

9. WALLACE AND DAVIS

Appearing together in the classic White Christmas, these two song and dance men had great chemistry and comic timing. Unlike Bing Crosby's work with Bob Hope, this duo has the benefit of singing classic Irving Berlin songs. This duo is a triple threat- singing, dancing, and wisecracking. (Played by Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby)

8. MILES AND JACK

This may seem like a weird choice, but this duo from Sideways is classic. These two misanthropes provide some great moments as they drink wine, charm the ladies and get into some compromising situations. The movie is great, but so is the DVD commentary that features the two actors channeling their onscreen chemistry. (Played by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church)

7. JOE FRIDAY AND PEP STREEBECK

This is a marquee big screen tandem. Aykroyd is perfect as the straight man while Hanks is free to be wild and wacky. While many would say Aykroyd's best paring was with John Belushi and Hanks' was with Peter Scolari, or Wilson the volleyball- I disagree. Many people forget how funny Tom Hanks can be, and in Dragnet he was paired with one of the great comic actors of his generation. The final scene where they discuss the virgin Connie Swail is a great microcosm of the Friday/Streebeck relationship. (Played by Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks)

6. HARRY AND LLOYD

Whether they're selling dead birds to blind kids, accidentally poisoning mobsters or going where the beer flows like wine, Harry and Lloyd are absolutely hilarious. Like all great twosomes, they really love each other, even if they let a girl get between them. However, at the end of the day their friendship is the driving force in the film, and for that the viewers are grateful. (Played by Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey)

5. C-3PO and R2-D2

The droids that love to argue are an intergalactic version of The Odd Couple. I even heard that they were cast in an off Broadway version of the Neil Simon classic. Fussy, uptight C-3PO would be nothing without his crusty little counterpart, R2-D2. Without their plucky comic relief, the Star Wars movies would have been much less fun to watch. (Played by Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker)

4. GUSTAFSON AND GOLDMAN

Lemmon and Matthau shared the screen several times in their storied film careers, but their best and most side-splitting work came in the two Grumpy Old Men movies. It was as if Felix and Oscar in The Odd Couple both got old, bitter and started swearing at each other. Not only do they make you laugh at their antics as they fight over Ann-Margaret, they touch you with their eventual friendship. (Played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau)

3. PEACHY CARNAHAN AND DANIEL DRAVOT

The real life friendship of Caine and Connery comes across in this tremendous movie duo. As Masons and British soldiers, they embark on a dangerous and exciting adventure that takes the audience inside their deep friendship of many years. It is thrilling to watch their adventures together, as their relationship is put to the ultimate test in The Man Who Would Be King. (Played by Michael Caine and Sean Connery)

2. RIGGS AND MURTAUGH

Sure, Mel Gibson has lost it, but he did have it at one point and he 'had it' best when paired with Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies. These two are the archetypes for buddy cops and have given us some of the most fun moments in action movie history. It may seem like a cliche now, but Riggs and Murtaugh as the loose cannon and by-the-book family man, respectively, were trendsetters in their day. (Played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover)

1. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

Arguably the most iconic screen pair ever, these two got into and out of more trouble than every other pair on this list combined. It is a thing of beauty to watch Butch and Sundance bicker, run, work and shoot. Much of what this pair did has been emulated by other great movie tandems over the years since this film's release. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? (Played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford)

Things I Think- Back To School Edition

Even though I'm not in school anymore, I find this to be a magical time of year that makes me nostalgic for my time in high school and college.

I think going to buy school supplies is fun. New pens and folders were always a favorite.

I think it is a must to watch National Lampoon's Animal House this time of year.

I think it's great to sit out on the quad at college with your friends and watch all the other students bustle around. Maybe even watch the hippie kids play frisbee.

I think the best school lunch box I ever had was my Ghostbusters lunch box. I also had a Bravestarr one that was pretty awesome.

I think night classes are a nice change of pace from having class all day, every day. One of my favorite classes ever was a night class called- Nazi Germany.

I think college football makes the fall and the return to school so much fun. Go Utes!

I think getting to know some Sorority girls is a good way to enhance your social life if you're a male college student. My wife is a Kappa, I know what I'm talking about.

I think joining some kind of club or being involved in some extracurricular activity like say, yearbook, is a good idea.

I think I'll go drink some Tang out of my Ghostbusters Thermos.