Christmas

Clemson football yet again disappoints me. We had the Atlantic Division in our hands if we simply win at home, but instead we decide to give up a touchdown with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter and drop a touchdown pass to win it. It just seems that every time we are in position to rise up to the next level we slip right back down to where we were.

The seas on was salvaged with a win against USC, but it was not pretty. Our special teams came through for us even though that has been our Achilles heel the past few seasons. Our offense, usually our strong point, did not show up until when it mattered most, but I would still like to see some consistency with our execution. Too many times we are unable to run the ball or a penalty stalls the drive. They need to play a lot better in order to win our bowl game.

Overall, I am pleased with our 9-3 record this year. It would be nice to get to ten wins with a win in our bowl game. Go Tigers!

Dual coding advertisement

I saw an advertisement today for Chevron, and it showed how they are using geothermal energy, energy created by the earth's interior, to power 7 million homes across the United States. This energy source is located almost 30,000 feet below the earth's crust, and it is a a new breakthrough in finding new energy for the world's increasing demand of power and energy.

What I particularly found intriguing is that an oil company is finding other ways to produce energy. Chevron is very wise for doing so because eventually it will not be economically feasible to dig the oil supply out of the earth. Thus, we need to find other ample energy sources. Although seven million homes may not seem like a dramatic increase in power, it is a start. With the human population likely to reach 10 billion in the near future, this increase puts a heavy burden on the energy supply. Geothermal energy may provide the necessary energy needed to sustain the required demand.

I also found the slogan used in the advertisement very powerful even though it is only two words, "human energy." It is an excellent choice because it depicts that humans are the ones necessary to figure out new energy sources. Nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil will only be be available for use for a limited amount of time; humans must find ways, either through technological advances or new discoveries, to provide the world with ample energy. Chevron believes it is a part of this change in focus to find new energy sources.

This commercial lets the audience know that not only is Chevron providing energy via oil and gas, but it is finding new ways to create energy for the world. This is an excellent way to mend the gap between environmentalists and Chevron because it provides a start to discovering a solution for the energy crisis we may face in the future.

Phase 2

Our group has been very effective with our communication. There has never been a problem scheduling meeting times, and if necessary, reporting if we cannot make the meetings. Emails have been sent on time, information has been adequately sent to each member of our group and we have been effective communicating our ideas with each other. As a result, out end product was exactly what our group had in mind; it was simple, elegant and easy to use. We think it is exactly what Shelby has in mind for her Web site.

For Phase 2, I think we should continue to do the things we have done previously. We need to continue to focus on a high a level of intercommunication to keep ideas flowing throughout the group. By doing this, we should be able to continue to be successful at providing Shelby with a high-quality Web site.

Green Bay

I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, and this year has been a complete turnaround from last year. Going into this weekend against Kansas City, we are 6-1 and undefeated on the road. Never since I have been a Packers fan have I seen Green Bay remain undefeated on the road this far into the season.

For a team to be 6-1, you have to have at least three of the four characteristics in order to be successful: a poised and polished quarterback, a strong running game, a stout defense and solid special teams play. When I have watched Green Bay play, however, it seems as if they have only two of those. They have a stout defense and a mature quarterback in Brett Favre. Their running game ranks in the bottom four of the league and their special teams is just average.

So how has a team won this many games without having the qualities it takes to be a dominating team? To put it simply, they find ways to win games. This comes from a team with chemistry, good personalities and a commitment to winning. Every game I have seen them watch this year has been a nail-biter. In the end, they make one play that changes the game completely. It may be a deep pass for a touchdown, an interception to turn the momentum, or a fumble recovery that seals the game.

A team is defined by its character, and Green Bay has shown the whole year that is enough character to make a run in the playoffs. By winning close games throughout the whole year, Green Bay has shown that even though they are the youngest team in the National Football League, they can play with the elite. Hopefully, they can continue this trend and make this season one for the history books.

Interview

This week, Ms. Rogers and I had a mock interview to analyze my confidence, people skills, my ability to answer difficult questions, and my capability of persuading the interviewer that I am the right person for the job. In this case, I applied for a conductor job for Norfolk Southern Corporation.

I thought the interview started off well. We made great eye contact, we had a firm handshake, and we seemed to get to know each other a little better before the actual interview began. I feel like this is an important step in the interview because it helps both of relate to the other person before questions are asked, which in turn helps relieve some of the tension and anxiousness between us. Once we got to learn a little more about each other, Ms. Rogers asked questions as to why I was interested and what qualities I can bring to the table. I thought I provided a good response by saying I want to work in a successful, long lasting corporation where great people work. I told her I have a friend who works in the railroad, and he has nothing but great comments to say about the company and the people that are employed. I followed this response by saying that I bring a great personality, excellent people skills, great organization, and reliability to the job. Being a conductor involves long and difficult shifts, but any one of my previous employers will say I am reliable for being on time and prepared. Furthermore, I am the person to call if extra help is needed, even if it during a difficult shift.

Next, Ms. Rogers asked why I would be a good fit for the job. I was pretty happy with my response by saying I have a great personality and the required work ethic it takes to be a conductor. I did say, however, that I do make occasional mistakes, but I do my best to make sure they do not happen again. I realized that unless she asks about a time I did made a mistake, do not answer a question about how mistake prone I am. A question like the one she asks involves positive qualities, not negative qualities.

For her next question, Ms. Rogers asked what kind of mistakes about which would you be less lenient? I was very happy with my response to this question by saying mistakes that involve safety. Safety is the number one priority in the workplace, especially on the railroad. In the first sentence of Norfolk Southern’s mission statement, it states that it wants to be the safest railroad. My answer clearly states that I want to be a part of this mission.

Finally, she asked if I had any questions for her. I asked her what she liked most about her job and one thing that she would change about it. These questions let her know that I am interested in why she works there and how she is looking to improve on making the company more efficient and effective.

Clemson football

Boy, the game against Virginia Tech was truly embarrassing. Not only was it embarrassing for the players, but our fans were not into the game at all. For a game that meant so much for our hopes at possibly reaching the ACC Championship game, we did everything we could to give the game away.

Penalties, turnovers, poor special teams play and a lackluster running game is no way to win a football game, especially versus Virginia Tech. We were out-hustled, out-played, out-manned and out-coached. Frank Beamer is a specialist at using his defense and special teams to his teams' advantage, and the game Saturday was a prime example of this.

Our fans provided no inspiration to our team as well. For night games, we are always loud and obnoxious, and we give the reputation for Memorial Stadium as being "Death Valley." This was not the case for this game, however. We rarely provided enough noise to help our struggling team throughout the game. I was sitting in the upper deck with my family and a Virginia Tech friend who came down for the game, and it seemed like the 10,000 or so Virginia Tech fans were louder than the 70,000 Clemson fans. For a must-win game, we cannot let the visitor's fans own the stadium with a "Let's go Hokies!" chant.

Hopefully with a little luck, Clemson can come back and contend for the ACC Championship. With performances like the one I saw on Saturday night, this will be a very difficult task to accomplish.

Resume blog

This article interested me the most concerning resumes: http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20070308-meehan.html. It deals with taking a year off of work to travel and how to explain that on a resume.

I personally love to travel, and I have explored this option when I leave college. My parents, however, would prefer another option, getting a job. Although I do want to be successful in business, I want to travel and enjoy my youth as well. I did not get an opportunity to study abroad during college (my sister did, and she still gloats today about her experience in Italy and France).

If I were to leave the country and do a tour de Europe, I would have to explain why I did not pursuit a job out of college. The article does a great job explaining how to answer this question, and how it may actually work to your advantage. If you want to travel overseas, you are a person who wants to learn, explore and experience new and exciting opportunities and cultures. Moreover, you are not the person who will sit in a cubicle and type constantly. Instead, traveling and discovering different cultures means you are creative, social and not afraid to take risks.

Although I do not think I will travel for a year out of college, I may decide to do so before I turn thirty. I am a person who enjoys traveling to different parts of the world to see and learn about different cultures. By going overseas, I feel I can enhance my overall performance in the workplace.