Campus Event: Lakers Game

James Irvine

Robert Aiello-Hauser

GEL 101

1 November 2012

Lakers Game

            For my campus event I went to the Lakers game at the San Diego sports arena. Going to the game was the best decision of my life. The seats were great, watching the game was fun; everything was just full of energy. So we left the campus at five from the Clark and drove down in the short bus that you see can see at UVA. It was a pretty comfortable bus considering it was so small.

            I meet some pretty cool Lakers fans on the way down to the game also. There were probably about 20 people in total and everyone was very nice. There were even some foreign exchange students that went to the game and didn’t know any of the players except Kobe Bryant. So I had to inform them of all the other stars that the Lakers have; like Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard.

            When we first got there we had to park in the back corner of the parking lot because we had a bus so we had a little walk to go get in line to get in. The line was very long and we were waiting for awhile to get in even though we were early to the game. Once we got in I started to get very hyper and full of joy. The Lakers are my team and they have been my team since I was a little boy. When we got to our seats I found out that we were right behind the bench of the Lakers. I was sitting in the fifth row behind the bench. I got to see all the players. Except for Kobe because he was getting rehab on his foot so he had to miss the game; which was fine because it was preseason. The teams were warming up and doing their shooting drills and then they announced the starting lineups. The Lakers were playing the Sacramento Kings. They did the jump ball to start it off and we won the tip off. The first five to ten minutes the starters all play together and the game was very fun to watch. Watching Steve Nash move the ball and watching Dwight Howard go hard in the paint and then every now and then the occasional three pointer.

            Once the starters were being taken out the game started to go down hill. The point guard for the Kings was making everything he shot, no matter where it was from. It was stupid and making me angry. But when Dwight was on the bench my friend Kerelos was yelling at Dwight the whole time and Dwight would turn around and give him the greatest looks and then start laughing. It was a good time at the San Diego sports arena.

            The Lakers ended up losing to the Kings that night but I was not as disappointed as I would normally be because it was just preseason. When the game was over and the teams were walking back into the locker room we all went over and tried to get signatures and high fives from the players but they did not seem in the mood. One person that went with us got touched and he started to freak out and make it a big deal as a joke; which was pretty funny to watch.

            Then we left the stadium and got stuck in traffic which was a pain but we got through it and got home around eleven. I am so glad that I went to this campus event; it was way worth sitting in line at four in the morning until eight to get the tickets. It only cost $40 and the tickets themselves cost $110. Seeing all the players in person and watching them play is way different than watching them play on TV. I don’t know why but when I was there in person it was a whole new feeling towards watching the Lakers that I will always have when I see them play again. I definitely recommend going next year to anyone who wants to see a Lakers game for pretty cheap. LAKERS FOR LIFE!

Cultural event

At the Polynesian festival

James Irvine

9/25/2012

Polynesian Festival 

            Today for my Cultural experience I attended the Polynesian Festival. There were a lot of people there and a lot of stuff was going on. They were giving out free food that was delicious. I had to wait in the longest line just to get this food. It probably took me about thirty minutes just to get a little plate of food. They also had a snow cone making booth but I did not get to go to this because only the first one hundred students got theirs free and I did not want to pay. Also during the festival there were booths set up from different sections of the campus, like the business office was out there. I talked to the business office people and they gave me a career guide and told me about how there was going to be a job fair Thursday, October 4, 2012 at the Kellogg Library Plaza. They were telling me that there will be numerous employers there for students that are graduating and students that are still in school. Also, at the Festival there were free lays, I think. I did not get to get one but I think they were giving them out. There was a photo booth there also and you got to take a picture with a hula dancer with a coconut bra and a surfer dude. We all would put up the “hang loose,” “shakabra” hand sign. I felt like I was in Hawaii or something. It was a pretty hot day and I remember taking off my backpack and my back being kind of damp. I am glad that I had my sunglasses because it was very bright outside. I went to the festival with some fellow classmates, Emily Fisher and Makaela Logan and their roommates. I took a picture with them which they will probably have on their blogs so go check theirs out also. But what I found most interesting about the Polynesian culture was the dancing and singing that they were performing. The music was fun. It was fun to listen to and watch them play the instruments. It was a lot of drums and fast beats. The dancing was very elegant also. They move so smoothly when they dance and all the dance moves are very creative. What I liked most when one of the guys started dancing was how he brought the crowd into the dance also. For example when he would say something everyone would clap once and when he said something different everyone would clap twice and shout “ohhhhhhhh” until he dropped his hand. What I also thought was cool was the language he was speaking and kind of teaching everyone. Like when we would have to clap once there was a word that he would yell. I forget what the words are but they are very interesting. The Polynesian language is a very exotic language that kind of reminds me of an Indian tribe. Another thing that I liked about the festival was how it was Hawaiian themed and everyone that was working it or helping out was wearing dress skirts with Hawaiian flowers and button up Hawaiian shirts. It makes me want to go to Hawaii and learn how to do the dances for real. Also to just hangout on the beach and surf but that’s beside the point.

              Overall I think that Polynesian festival was a major success and showed everyone the great and exotic cultures of the Polynesian people. I am glad that I attended this event and I want to attended many other events like this to expand my knowledge of cultures around the world. I find peoples’ cultures to be very interesting and very different from everyone else’s. There are special things about every different culture that makes that culture their own.

            I thank everyone who volunteered and helped out at the Polynesian Festival today. You did a wonderful job and I cant wait for next years festivities!

Student organization fair

Introduction

Hello fellow classmates. My name is James Irvine and I am from a little Danish town called Solvang. I have one brother and three sisters, all from the same mom and dad. During the summer I work at a summer camp as a counselor. My major is Kinesiology. I choose Kinesiology because I want to become a physical therapist when I am older. I love to watch almost any type of sport. My favorite sports are soccer and basketball. I have played soccer my whole life and I am just starting to play basketball. I also wakeboard occasionally with my uncle and cousin in San Diego. I am a die hard Los Angeles Lakers fan and have been one forever. My favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant. I have had knee surgery because I tore my meniscus. The classes I am taking this semester are: GEL 101, GEW 101, Spanish 101, and Anthropology 200. I live at the QUAD and am really excited about going to school here at San Marcos.