Coca-Cola

The new fad.

As I was in the commuter lounge (yeah, I know, just don’t ask) I was bored (as you can imagine) and I saw a ton of coca-cola bottles on the table. Then I had an idea.

Under each cap was a code to enter a Coca-Cola website. I didn’t know why so I decided to try it out (I guess their marketing ploy worked).So anyways, I saw the code and went to the website.

Instantly (and unfortunately) I got sucked in. Okay, so I’m sure not everyone acted the way I did once I figured out what these little codes built up to, but I for one found an sudden obsession to get as many caps with codes as possible.

Why?

Because of the mp3 players…the CDs…the video games…the cruises….the cars. I know it isn’t going to be easy to get any of them but it sure is hard not to get addicted to the idea of gaining points for certain materials.

There are a few categories:

-Entertainment

-Sports

-Family

-Travel

-Home

-Music

-Gaming

-Fashion/Beauty 

The reason that is it also relevant to promoting Coca-Cola besides the sudden rush for Coke products, is that most of the products that can be gotten with minimal points from the cap accumulation have Coca-Cola terms all over it.

Whether it is an ice box, a book bag, or a camping chair, the words “Coca-Cola” and other terms revolving around that such as “thirst” and “refresh” are all over it—moving advertisements and brand-name promotion for everyone.

I only have 38 right now… but hopefully after I get a few more Coke Zeros I can get some more.

Because that is another thing… depending on what brand of Coke (Cherry, Coke Zero, Diet, etc.) it differs in points.  This is an easy way of marketing new products…just “up” the point amount and have an instant area of success.

www.cokerewards.com

T

The Blog

Blogs. Yes, this is a blog…but is a blog something to advertise with? I think it could be…

yet, I always thought blogs were just random people talking about their boring life etc. But as I was looking I found that it isn’t always boring people talking about their boring life, it is boring people talking about their boring life and what they like about it.

Ha, kidding.

Although some is like that there are some pretty funny ones out there.

Out of approximately 11 million blogs taking over the web, only a handful are for professional use. If a person looks hard enough, many interesting (and yes, unusually strange) blogs can easily be discovered on a variety of topics. The mish-mash assortment of blogs ranging from hair design, hiking travels, political humor, and of course, an occasional Paris Hilton critic, give the online blogging community diverse topics that can be both intriguing and bizarre.

Whether they can be advertisements is one thing—but no matter what they are, it is increasingly interesting how much information you can learn (even if you didn’t really need to learn it) if you look around.

Blog examples:

>>-http://stormchaserco.blogspot.com/ A group of storm chasers throughout Colorado and Wyoming have decided to give readers an inside look on how they deal with tornados and Mother Nature’s extreme temper. The blog entertains with added video, photo, and first-hand commentary based on the somewhat crazy notion of chasing deadly storms. Instant updates from various chases intensify the blog.

>>http://users.telenet.be/be.bartlog/bartlog.html Bored with blogs about mundane events in America? Maybe Belgium’s mundane events will better satisfy. An amusing blog run by the average newlywed, and how he goes about his life going on rants about annoying soap operas and getting splashed in the face with mammoth rain drops. And you thought Belgium couldn’t possibly be that interesting…

>>http://energy-drink-ratings.blogspot.com/ A blog about energy drinks. Reviews on multiple flavors and versions of energy drinks make this a perfect site for the energy drink lover, college student, or sci-fi fanatic wanting to watch all 6 Star Wars movies in a row without dozing off.

>> http://www.votefortheworst.com/ Even though it is fairly mainstream as of the last year or so, this blog has had an impact of FOX’s American Idol. Its anti-Idol feel is full of satire and should at least be respected of its genius design even if the reader is an Idol fan.

>>http://coastercritic.blogspot.com/ The train slides into an inverted cobra-roll complete with an airtime hill then launched into an immelman before entering a top-hat. If you had any idea what I just said, this blog could possibly appeal to you. Included are roller coaster facts, amusement park news, photos detailing some of the best rides, and of course first-hand accounts from coaster enthusiasts themselves.  

LOST and Web component

I am an avid fan of LOST

Who isn’t these days? Okay, some people find it a little “out there”, but I think it is pretty fantastic.

However—and this is a big “however”—there is a lot more to LOST than I ever would get into. Yet many people I know fully indulge in this new interactive LOST experience online.

As the show progresses through its 4th season on ABC, fans are given small advertisements on TV that show the link to a website that futher delves into the LOST experience. These advertisements are shown as if they are real broadcasts from people on the plane in the show and they are focused primarily on the viewer being involved in “detective”-like scenarios that help uncover other mysteries of the show.

One day, I was watching a few friends use this interactive online LOST addition, titled, “Find Oceanic Flight 815″, and it was amazing how in-depth the situations are. It really serves its purpose to create buzz about the show in a way that provides a newly innovative way to involve the viewer. These experiences online are complete with an addicting game system complimented by themed music and endless clips of clues.

THE SCENARIO:

You follow a man who is involved in finding a ship lost in the ocean, however while searching, his hidden agenda becomes apparent when you find out he is looking for his girlfriend who was lost on Oceanic 815. Through this interactive process, you play games (like puzzles for instance), search the man’s personal belongings to find video clips to help discover facts, and are futher provided with information regarding the show’s mind-boggling mysteries.

This is a very involved process, and isn’t the best for the average viewer. Yet what makes it interesting is the way it pulls you in with its interactive process.

Overall it is a new idea to create an online component this in-depth to help advertise and create excitement for a show, and it has proven to be a successful addition to the LOST franchise.

However, they don’t include many pivotal plot points that would make the show pointless to watch in itself, but instead they offer additional content to enhance the information already provided on the TV.

LINK TO THE LOST EXPERIENCE

T

Marketing Image

I have been researching Burger King and McDonalds (I know, strange) for a project I am doing in another class. It is about the documentary “Super Size Me” where all the facts about how much fat and added “stuff” is included in our everyday fast-food menu. As I was looking over this stuff, I realized how far these restaurants go to try and make their identity “fresh” and “fun” instead of confronting any sort of problem with their unhealthy image. This new look for both of them include the recent “My Whopper” Burger King commercials, proving that people are in “need” of their whopper (shown in a sequence of “reality”-type secret cameras capturing the customer’s shocked faces as they find out whoppers are gone). Likewise, on their internet website, McDonalds goes far to try and prove themselves as an “active” establishment with pictures of people running (and absolutely no overweight people) while advertising their “hip” new products. Also, the tab for “food” on McD’s site also has the caption: “Nutrition and Fitness”. See some crafty handiwork being done?This image that both restaurants are trying to convey is one that includes a new wave of “healthy” information and tools to “aid” people if they want to know about their products.However, what was interesting to me, is that I actually used to go to their websites when I was a little younger because of the tie-ins from their products (games, activities, etc.). Yet, now, the websites have turned into more professional looking sites that almost don’t even look like fast-food advertisements. I might be off, but it definitely seems like these institutes are trying their best to make the consumer forget that they are a fast-food entity and accept a more professional way of viewing the restaurants. The way these fast-food places advertisements now include the slogans “healthy alternatives” and “carefully cultivated” to further their image as quality establishments. In addition to that, games (especially on McDonald’s site), emphasize quality of food and “family” unity. Overall, it seems that these restaurants are moving towards this somewhat superficial “happy” view of themselves—and are trying to convey that to people via various marketing ploys and image enhancement.

fast-paced generation

Think you don’t need an iPod?

The people at Apple hope your wrong…and prove it with their flashy website geared to marketing their monster creation.

Recently my friend wanted to look into buying an Ipod… not any mp3 player, but “THE” player that everyone else was talking about. He was on the fence about whether or not he should get one, though, because of how financially expensive they are.

Yet, then he went to the website.

With Apple’s intensely “futuristic” decor of the site, with the easy-to-navigate menus (that at some points even seem “fun”) his appetite for the littel gadgets only grew.

Coincidence? Not likely. The people at Apple know what they are doing… and know how to market their creation.

 Don’t have an iPod? You’re uncool. At least, that is what you feel like after leaving the website.

Just take there website into consideration…

The Details:

-the flashy scrollbar of iPod variations created for a unique on-the-go experience

-the Itunes store information placed smartly next to the many iPod products showing how the two are intergrated… and provide easy access to any sort of material

-of course the accessory section after that, proving that someone can “dig deeper” into the product and customize it to their desires

Now, when a viewer clicks on any given item it gives a detailed view of how it works, what it holds, etc. But not only that, the way the whole product is presented involves a flashy high-tech visual experience.

The website itself acts as a futuristic panel with various options for the viewer to click on, with seamless transitions into the new information. This combination of information about the product and a flashy visual feast of futuristic colors makes the whole experience of visiting to the site eye-catching and exciting.

The colors themselves jump off the screen, and blend almost perfectly with the high-tech theme.

Have an iPod? Then it already effected you.

But not having one and visiting the iPod’s site? You may need to hold off if you don’t want to get caught in its brilliant strategies to capture your attention… and your money.

 Needless to say, my friend ended up with the “new” iPod nano… complete with a brilliant little screen bursting with color, closely themed nicely with the website.

Was his purchase all because of the website? Not really. The product itself is a good one, one that is built to last and is easy to use.

However, the website only made his “hunger” for the item to grow in intensity… and that is key in any marketing strategy.

The Bowls are here

The big bad Bowls are back.

Like I said in the previous blog, The BCS Championship has gone with #1 Ohio State, and #2 LSU.

It is going to be a match between the Big 10 powerhouse and the SEC powerhouse.

Which will reign?

I can’t make a prediction… I don’t want to jinx my Bucks.

So, in The Year of the Upset I am going to detail some of the bowls I find most exciting… and of course my pick to win:

Dec. 27^th – #11 Arizona State vs. #19 Texas

                It just sounds like it could be a fun one. I have to say, I’m not a fan of Texas at all and don’t know a lot about Arizona State. Texas’ Colt McCoy better step up and stop throwing interceptions if he wants the Longhorns to have shot. My pick? Arizona State.

Dec. 28^th – #14 Boston College vs. Michigan St.

                I’m not going to lie… as much as I absolutely Michigan I can’t help but like Michigan St. I think it is because of their constant pressure on the Big 10 teams, yet not being able to win. They conquered Penn St. this year and were close on Michigan and Ohio State. Boston College played well overall, but I think Michigan St. can pull this win off. My pick? Michigan St.

Dec. 31^st – #21 South Florida vs. Oregon

                Both teams had a chance to do bigger and better things when they were ranked high in the BCS. However, both suffered losses of games and players. I think this game could be a close one…only if Oregon is able to try and pull together after 3-straight losses. My pick? It is a tough one… but I am going with South Florida.

Jan. 1^st – #16 Tennessee vs. #18 Wisconsin

                Tennessee was close to beating LSU, and Wisconsin was close to beating Ohio State. Sound interesting? Each team had a shot at the now numbers #1 and #2 teams in the BCS championship and blew it… but now they will focus on this game. Both teams are young and somewhat inconsistent. I think the outcome depends a lot on what team will show up when. My pick? Tennessee in a close one.

                #6 Missouri vs. Arkansas

                How could this not be exciting? Watching the ALMOST championship #1 (Missouri) play against the team (Arkansas) that knocked off now #2 LSU in overtime? I think emotion will be running high on both sides…Missouri trying to redeem itself while Arkansas trying to keep up the good work. My pick? Ahh… I want to say Arkansas, but I think Missouri might pull through in a close one.

                #12 Florida vs. Michigan

                Can they both lose? I’m sorry but I can’t stand either team. However, to say that Michigan has a chance in this game is somewhat naïve. Now, the team that was “supposed” to win a lot this year has been one to lose, yet Michigan’s closing performance against Ohio State was pathetic…and on top of that Florida (even thought losing 3 times) can man-handle a team. My pick? Florida big time.

  

                #7 USC vs. #13 Illinois

                Some critics have a problem with this game, saying Illinois shouldn’t be invited. What I don’t understand is that the Illini are the only ones who knocked off Ohio State this year. I personally think USC is completely overrated and that the Illini could possibly knock ‘em out. My pick? Illinois providing USC with another shocker to their year.

                #5 Georgia vs. #10 Hawaii

                All I can say is emotion will be running rampant in this game. Georgia will be ridiculously angry because of LSU passing them in the BCS polls, while Hawaii will want to leave a dent in the public and critics thinking they can’t really contend with the “big teams”. This game is going to be one with intense emotion. I think this could be one of the most exciting. My pick? Hawaii by only a little bit.

Jan 2^nd- #4 Oklahoma vs. #9 West Virginia

                I think the key to this game will be if Oklahoma can sustain its energy from crushing then #1 Missouri and if West Virginia can get back to good football and not dwell on their disappointing season-ending loss to Pitt. Each team will hopefully be there with their “A-game”. My pick? Oklahoma

Jan 3^rd- #3 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Kansas

                Both teams could have possibly played for more, but this match-up seems to be a pretty exciting one anyway. I think Virginia Tech will provide Kansas with a shocking wake-up call however, unless VT plays like they did against LSU early this year. My pick? Virginia Tech…but not without its share of bumps

Jan 7^th- #1 Ohio State vs. #2 LSU

                Ohio State is number one AGAIN? I thought this was their rebuilding year. Well, this is their 2^nd time being number 1 this season and LSU’s second at #2…they were #1 twice as well. In a year of shocking conclusions, I honestly have no idea how this game is going to play out…

My pick? Well, I WANT it to be Ohio State… but I don’t know which team will be victorious.

Let the bowls begin!

T

Mass Comm in 10

Mass Communications in 10 years.

Pretty crazy to think about, right?

I mean, look at the last decade…

With internet use blowing away most other communication sources it is no wonder people are worried that some styles of communication (such as newspapers) are going to become obsolete.

How could they not?

Okay, okay… some can argue that the newspaper has been around forever and ever. It is a mode of communication that has lived long past anyone expected, even with the introduction of televised news and communication.

Yet, my argument isn’t that the newspaper is going to become extinct.

I think it is just going to shift from a news source to more of a medium for novelty information much like certain magazines are today.

In 10 years I can’t imagine as many people going out and picking up the newspaper even if they wanted to.

The way we are living today everything needs to be at our fingertips as we hastily go about our ever-moving lives.

Is this going to change?

I just think it is going to get faster.

With the younger generations now growing older in 10 years, I imagine it will be a media-frenzy.

Ahh, just to image what it could be like…

–cell phones, hardly even phones anymore, more like ear-pieces and voice activation. Instantaneous radio or news sources whenever you need it. Or, instead of an ear piece, it could be a lot like the new Apple i-Phone with having everything you need in your pocket at any given time.

–I think streaming video on the internet will even bet getting old, while real-time crystal clear news casts appear whenever.

–I can imagine the advertisements becoming even more futuristic, trying harder to keep up with the times.

–television will have to change certain news into a “cooler” entertainment medium in order to keep interest with how easily distracted people now get

–think of a web, not like the internet, more of a social web that can be hooked into your car, your house, anywhere…and all be linked to a massive news-net that can update people at any time of anything major. For instance, think of an automobile accident while you are driving your car, and you aren’t very far away from it. I am thinking it could provide instant information about what happened via satellite of where you are and how far away the computer of the other car is letting out a signal.

Anyway, from a person who likes to creatively imagine things it is fun to think about communications and instant knowledge in the future.

I can see a lot of “voice” options in anything…voice commands for almost all technological anything, giving easy access to any sort of communications.

One thing, video, will become even more widespread with chat features that will span the globe and be extremely easy to use.

Mass Communications are going to change with time…and even if people don’t want to go along with it the world is going to demand it.

I think it will be extra work for journalists and newspapers to stay afloat in this transformation.

Who knew that from the new millennium was going to advance our way of life so rapidly that it is hard to even buy one computer when a new one comes out 3 weeks later?

Communications is going to be the same.

Constant access to anything, anywhere.

T

Just hit “reset”

“Hit the RESET button”

It seems as if those were the words heard by the people voting for the BCS Championship Bowl.

What happened?

#1 Ohio State and #2 LSU.

Again. Like a month ago…but now for real.

In a year where the term “upset” lost its’ meaning, Ohio State and LSU will play for all the marbles January 7^th.

What do I say to that?

GO BUCKEYES!

Well, that is one of the things I say.

Others might include “I am sick of people saying Ohio State doesn’t have a chance” and “LSU is going to crush them”

I would like to hear those people back before Michigan lost to Appalacian State and Stanford won out over USC.

I bet they said the same things about the good ol’ Wolverines and Trojans being unstoppable.

But anyway…

In light of the recent bowl selection, I would like to try and recap their seasons and how in the world they made it this far

First off,

LSU:

First game, LSU vs. Mississippi St. – 45-0 BLOWOUT by the Tigers.

2^nd- LSU vs. Virginia Tech – 48-7 BLOWOUT by the Tigers

3^rd- LSU vs. Middle Tennessee (whoever that is) – 44-0, yep, you get the picture

4^th- LSU vs. South Carolina – 28-16 a little closer but still not a scary win for the Tigers

5^th- LSU vs. Tulane – 34-9 Yep, the Tigers had an easy one here

6^th- LSU vs. Florida – 28-24 This game was the close one… one that Florida could have won if it hadn’t let LSU score 14 of its points late in the fourth quarter. This was hardly a game I could watch… is it bad if I wanted BOTH teams to lose?

7^th- LSU vs. Kentucky – 43-37 the Tigers…wait…nope, Kentucky pulled the big “upset”

8^th- LSU vs. Auburn – 30-24 The Tigers pull through to beat a good Auburn team

9^th- LSU vs. Alabama – 41-34 the “blowouts” aren’t coming so easily, yet they keep truckin’ on

10^th- LSU vs. Louisiana Tech – 58-10 Okay, maybe I spoke too soon about there not being any blowouts anymore… and suddenly LSU has more hope of a National Championship as #1 Ohio State loses on this day.

11^th- LSU vs. Mississippi – 41-24 LSU crushes yet another team…

12^th- LSU vs. Arkansas – 50-48 Arkansas pulls the big upset! Suddenly the Tigers feel defeated and hopes of a championship are utterly gone. Or are they?

13^th- LSU vs. Tennessee – 21-14 LSU rallies yet again to win a close one against the Vols.

Suddenly, LSU vaulted over a few teams and landed at #2 in the BCS. A sweet ending for Les Miles and his crew as they head to New Orleans.

Now for Ohio State:

First game, OSU vs. Youngstown St. – 38-6 Ohio State brings out the win from in-state rivals

2^nd- OSU vs. Akron – 20-2 Yes, the score is strange, but OSU puts away another win

3^rd- OSU vs. Washington – 33-14 Ohio State blows Washington away easily

4^th- OSU vs. Northwestern – 58-7 The funny thing about this one was that people were talking how it was going to be close… OSU crushes

5^th- OSU vs. Minnesota – 30-7 Another win for OSU

6^th- OSU vs. Purdue – 23-7 OSU wins yet another game that was supposed to be “close”

7^th- OSU vs. Kent State – 48-3 major blowout by the Buckeyes

8^th- OSU vs. Michigan St. – 24-17 A game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates, the Buckeyes gave up 14 points with fumbles close to the end of the game near their own 10 yard line…not something that they wanted to do, but ended up winning anyway

9^th- OSU vs. Penn State – 37-17 This was supposed to be a game that challenged OSU but Penn St. hardly made a dent in Ohio State after the opening drive by the Lions.

10^th- OSU vs. 38-17 This game, unlike the Michigan St. game, was a lot closer than the score indicates. Ohio State gave Wells the ball and luckily got major points to lift them in the fourth quarter to another victory

11^th- OSU vs. Illinois – 28-21 the Illini pull off an upset. You could almost hear every announcer yell “told you so” which made any Buckeye fan frustrated. Basically, to recap, the Buckeyes played like they didn’t know what football was and the Illini capitalized on it…all thoughts of the BCS championship seemed lost for OSU…

12^th- OSU vs. Michigan – 14-3 Can we say uneventful? OSU pulls to an easy win in the rainy, sloppy, Big Ten champ match-up. With almost everything going wrong on Michigan’s side, and with Ohio State’s defense crushing anything, it was no wonder why Carr finally retired from being Blue constantly

With a few upsets from Oklahoma and Pitt, Ohio State was back at #1…and is still an underdog to #2 LSU. Weird? Well, it is the BCS here…

Jan 7^th – 8:00pm.

The game that decides who is the champion from “The Year of the Upsets”.

Will it be the Tigers? Another SEC team to run over their opponent? The “speediest” bunch?”

Or

Will it be the Buckeyes? A strong defensive team bent on revenge after an embarrassing (okay, embarrassing is an understatement) loss in last years’ game?

T

Hmmm

Video games.

How can you not see them influence our culture?

Okay, so the debate about whether or not they influence violence in our culture is debatable… but influence itself is not.

Video games have changed everything.

Take 2005’s record-breaking year, when the video game industry raked in approximately $10.5 billion worth of revenue.

Now, skip a year later to 2006—the new record-breaking year. It raked in approximately $12.5 billion.

Now what does that say about ’07? Of course those numbers haven’t come out yet… the Christmas holiday is still looming in the distance along with the assumed billions of dollars still to be made.

If violence or any other sort of “questionable” material are in them, how could they not be influential? Just look at the money spent on them each year…

Now, I like video games here and there. I am the type of person who could sit down and play some Nintendo Mario, some Playstation complete with Crash Bandicoot, and shoot-‘em-up games never really appealed to me.

However, they are some of the most talked about… from Grand Theft Auto to Call of Duty.

Are these so bad?

To be honest, like I said, I’m not into them. It could be personal preference, but I get bored and don’t feel the rush that some people get while playing them.

However, I feel like an addicting aspect is present in order for anyone to enjoy any sort of video game… and shooters, along with games like Super Mario, have it.

…and people want it.

–Online Multiplayer games such as Guild Wars or Star Wars Galaxies have thousands of people draining their computers of any downtime while they go on their endless journeys to conquer this and that.

–People sat waiting for hours upon hours , days and days, just to get their hands on the new Playstation 3 in 2006. People even actually tried to rob and mug other people who already bought the system.

It can’t be ignored that video games have a certain influence on people…especially the younger generation.

Could this be dangerous?

If someone plays Grand Theft Auto and then steals cars later, it isn’t going to be easy that that playing the game was the sole influence of his crime.

So, for arguments sake, I can’t find a great way of debating that video games DO in fact influence violence.

HOWEVER… I do believe it is easier to take the standpoint arguing that yes, maybe they don’t influence violent behavior, but they by all means don’t influence good behavior at all.

What’s the point?

Like I said, I don’t like shooter games of any sort, I find them lame and boring.

Okay, so they might not be the reason kids commit crimes and cause school shootings… but they are even more so not the reason for any sort of positive influence among anyone.

What’s the point?

 ——————————

GTA cover art

PS3 advertisement

Crash Bandicoot

What to do?

In a world where news needs to have “shock value”, be “big and flashy”, and at times need to be “controversial”, there are many instances where news outlets jump at the chance to publish a news story…and then find out it isn’t all together true.

Why does this happen?

I think society plays a large role in why news isn’t all-together solid before it hits the public.

Look at how society works in general.

It is a mass audience waiting to pounce on information because of the “informative” age we all live in.

It is a circle that is never-ending… the news produces stories at a fast rate because of the public wanting everything at a specific moment, and then the public demands news so quickly that the news needs to be constant.

Then the ethics of a situation show through.

Let’s take a simple situation and provide a “what should you do” formula:

A man, Bob, has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman, Stacie, in his office. Bob denies involvement with Stacie of any sort other than a normal office acquaintance. Stacie, on the other hand, says he has tried to touch her in places she isn’t comfortable with. However, a few co-workers of Bob and Stacie informed people working with the case that Stacie has been known to be overly sexual in the way she presents herself, and that she constantly wants attention. Bob’s wife, Sandra, doesn’t know of the claim yet. Finally, the story is an option for your local newspaper—a paper that is in need of a boost in revenue. The paper is thinking about writing the story and adding the caption “Sexual Tension in an Office”

What would you do?

2 Big choices:

Let’s say you’re a ABSOLUTIST when it comes to these things. You would go over everything that you usually go over…your basic routine. You would have a guideline that you would follow exactly… with questions that pin-pointed specific details on how to cover a story—not depending on the situation or circumstance.

However, let’s say you’re a SITUATIONALIST. You take your time and tweak your approach based on the situation—such as finding out a little more about the context of the story. For instance, one might look more into the co-workers accusation that the woman is in need of constant attention because, if it is proven true and the claim is likely to be false, the story would take a completely different spin then one that includes the assumption that Bob could be a sexual predator.

What would you do?

The question is a lot heavier if the person involved in the situation has some sort of tie to you. Let’s say Bob is one of your friends from college.

Now what?

Would you follow a basic, never-changing ABSOLUTIST guideline?

Or would a tiny voice call to you to be a SITUATIONALIST because of your attachment?

I know I’d have a hard time going against a friend.

But then again, I must just be a SITUATIONALIST….

T