Guest Blogger: Zach Biondi

  Zach Biondi is my roommate at school. We became roommates through an interesting turn of events. We have grown to become the best of friends. He has come to me asking to guest blog about our intramural floor hockey team the Synnabunz. It was a team built with the right amount of talent, hard work, and chemistry. So without further ado here is Zach.

First of all, I would like to thank Mike for letting my blog here.  He is a great roommate and I love him.  Sacred Heart has many intramurals to offer throughout the year.  My friends and I took part in football, volleyball, and floor hockey.  Nothing compared to the floor hockey season.  We had high expectations entering the season.  We put in a lot of hard work and late night practices on the basketball court.  Our season started with a win via forfeit.  They must have watched our practices; they were intimidated. We finished the regular season 4-1, with stellar play from all around.  Entering the playoffs, we had high expectations.  In our first game, we found ourselves down 4-0 late in the third.  We made it 4-3, but couldn’t manage to complete the comeback.  We gave it our best shot.  We will be back next year.  I’d like to give a special thanks to Mike Leboff, Tommy O Hanlon, Emmett, Fritz, Cee, Julia, Mama, Brian, and Solty for a great season.

 

Go Synabunnz!      

State of the Blog Address

 Every year in January the president makes a State of the Union address. He usually says the nation is doing well, then rifles off 30-40 areas that need fixing. I just like to watch the State of the Union because it is immature, and I like immature. When the president says something about killing Native Americans (always a good strategy) the GOP members stand up. When he says something about killing babies and helping the environment the democrats stand up and clap. And of course when he says something about soft hands and the triple deek, Coach Gordon Bombay stands up and claps.  I figured since I am the president of this blog, I will do the same tonight. 

 The state of the Gospel According to Mike is strong. Originally a tool to help keep in touch with those at home, it has blossomed into a lot more. In a brief moment of narcissism, I added a hit counter for a day to see how many hits the blog would receive on an average day. The answer was very encouraging, I put up the hit counter at 3 AM and took it down at 4 PM. The blog had a whopping 256 hits in that span. The Gospel has found its way into a local newspaper, a comedy club owners hands, and of course on the official Rob & Spyder Show website. The blog is not even a year old and it has surpassed my expectations. I would to thank all of you for that. 

 There is one thing I would like to ask. I would like to enlist more guest bloggers. In the past Chris Mango, Dylan Prior, Rob Coloney, and Killian my dog have guest blogged. I need more people to guest blog. The Gospel is working on having a round table blogging session with 4 huge names in history. Jesus of Nazareth, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and Will Smith. That should happen within the month. However, I need you guys to guest blog please.

 Thank you to all of you for reading. 

All-Boys High School.

  The tone has shifted a little bit on this blog. It went from sentimental, everyday humor to a promotional tool (sorry) to the work of someone in the midst of an existential crisis. This post will consist of the sentimental, everyday humor.

 I went to an All-Boys High School. Oh yeah, it was Catholic too. When one attends a school like mine, there are several possibilities. Some people come in a boy and leave a young man. Others find out what they want to do in life. Some become priests. Me? I walked in a boy, and left with the maturity level of a 5 year old. I also learned I do not, do not care what people think about me. Aside from that there are some other startling facts one learns at an all-boys school. The things that cross a student's mind at that school would disgust any normal person. For instance, there were less than 10 female teachers at Chaminade High School (my school). They were all less than 5's on the scale. There was one who was clearly the best looking though. She was about 55 years old. Any outsider would think "she is not ugly, but she is also not good looking." But she drove the 1600 boys in the school nuts. Absolutely bonkers. She did smell really good, which is weird. If a student was walking down the hallway, he would most likely hear this, 'Mrs. Kump called on me today. She wants me. Bad.' No she didn't. The thing was we all knew she wasn't that good looking. Yet, from September to June she had us all under her thumb. Everyone would sign up for her clubs, stay after and talk to her, and make excuses to hang out with her. 

peace ya'll.

Winding Down.

 College. I like to think of college as an oasis. While the rest of the world is going about its business, us college students are in our own little world. It is a place where one experiences new things, meets new kinds of people, and grows up. When I first got here, I was very skeptical. I didn't know how I could last without the comforts of home. I thought I was gonna be here for a little while and come home. It didn't happen like that (sorry mom). The thing is, college has made me appreciate these comforts of home so much more. Now that I am leaving here in less than a week, I have to reflect on my experiences. Some things college has done for me since September:

• Sleep Cycle: My sleep cycle is about as normal as I am at this point. Early to bed for me is before 3 AM. When I say morning here, I mean sometime between noon and 2 PM. I have gone to bed when the sun is up a handful of times. Once in the winter, I slept from 3 AM til 4:45 PM and didn't see light.
• Culture: I have been introduced to some new things, and have become aware of some things I didn't know I had in me. Country music was never something I really enjoyed. That all changed with coming to school. I started to get into country pretty hardcore. I have also started to like Bruce Springsteen a lot. 
• Independence: Although everyone who goes away to college says they look forward to "the independence" that college brings with it, I was not that ecstatic for it. I still think it is way overhyped. I mean its nice having a different structure in one's life, but I am not in any way independent. I probably spend less than an hour here alone when I am not doing work or am in class. One of my favorite things about being here is the fact that at any moment I could hang out with people I love.
• People: Easily my favorite thing about college is the exposure to new people. I lived in a bubble town, and went to a catholic school. My horizons were expanded within the first week here. I met a new cast of characters that were so diverse. I am now friends with kids from Maine to Rochester to Boston to Virginia. I am friends with someone who works at Fenway Park and friends with someone whose father patented the portable first-aid kit. I have become best friends with some incredible people. I sleep 5 feet away from my best friend on campus every night. I became closer to one of my best friends from home. My first new friend on campus was a guy who had the same interests as I did. We are so incredibly compatible it scares me. Now we are friends for life, as well as co-hosts. I spent countless hours talking to a girl from Maine whose self-deprecating humor made me laugh as hard as I ever had. I met two girls who became best friends here at school and are just incredible friends. No other way to put it but that they are stand out friends. I met four guys from Beacon, NY who are all polar opposites, yet the same person. I met the nicest person on the face of the earth, hands down. I became close friends with a kid who forgets everything, for one reason or another. 

 Everyone is connected. People are beautiful. Whether it be saying hello to a stranger, holding the door for someone, or striking up a conversation on a line, connect with people.  I love meeting new people and at school I haven't only met new people, I have met incredible people. I thank all of them for shaping me into the person I am today.

  College has kept the kid inside of me going strong. Too often, we lose that kid in us, and once that kid is lost, it is so hard to get back. Everyone of us is guilty of getting caught up. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Now go out and have some fun. 

live.

Poetry.

Just a few poems I wrote to change the tune:

Window.

I was a king once,

I looked out the window and saw the horizon,

I owned all that lay before me,

I told the waves when to crest,

I told the sun when to set,

I owned spoils known to no other man,

I was a king once,

and I still wanted more.

I was a peasant once,

I looked out the window and saw the horizon,

I owned nothing that lay before me,

I was tossed by the waves,

I was burnt by the sun,

I owned nothing,

I was a peasant once,

and there was still hope for more.

Safari.

People hop into the bus,

The lion awakes,

they wonder what lies ahead.

he knows what lies ahead.

An hour unlike any other awaits them,

An hour just like any other awaits him,

they gawk at the king of the jungle in all of his glamour.

he sleeps.