Remembering Bluefield: Brandon Caldwell

I briefly met Brandon Caldwell during my sophomore year when he made the trip to Bluefield for a campus visit. At the time, he was considering transferring in from Dabney Lancaster Community College. Obviously, he followed through with that consideration and became one of the best friends I've ever known. I'll let him tell the rest.

Name: Brandon Caldwell

When did you graduate?
2002

What degree did you earn?
Business Administration and Information Technologies

What drew you to Bluefield College?
One of my best friends, Mark Hipes, talked so much about it while we were in Community College, we were going to walk onto the baseball team and room up from there. I ended up getting a part time job at Subway instead of walking on the team.

What kept you there?
The people. The friends that I grew to know and love.

Is there a class that changed your life? If so, what?
I wouldn't say one particular class absolutely CHANGED my life. I will say that after doing both Business Administration and Information Technologies, I knew I couldn't just simply "write code" all day long. So I went the business route.

What teacher had the biggest impact on you? Why?
Probably either Dee Shoemaker or Dr. Anderson. Both were just great at relaying their messages in class. Both were able to put that personal touch on things so we could appreciate the classes we were in.

Did you live on campus or commute?
Lived on campus of course.

Who were your roommates?
First year, Mark Hipes. Second year, Mark Hipes, Aaron Peck, and Dereck Harris. (Aaron decided to relocate after a semester though)

Share an epic roommate story (if you have one).
Good gosh....where do I start....I mean there's spotlight, throwing pumpkins off the roof of Rish, playing spades, Playing Bond and Tetris all day....literally all day. "he can go fast if he wants to"....and those were just a few while we were in college... not to mention our later years.... "whats that smell.....ITS US, no seriously, I smell something.... DUDE I'M TELLING YOU ITS US", Bigtenoh11, and.....hey, remember that time we went to Pittsburgh? I know, I know....these are all one liners and your 50+ readers may not get them because they're inside jokes but... man are they awesome stories...we should tell them sometime.

What's your most cherished Bluefield College memory?
Just knowing that all of the times we had and shared with each other for my two years there, whether they were good or bad, have resulted in stronger bonds with a lot of those people today. And its miles apart from the relationships that I have with the people I grew up with. That's a pretty powerful thing to me.

Where are you now?
I spent 10 years in Roanoke and just recently, as of August, moved back to my hometown of Clifton Forge.

What are you doing?
I'm a Vice President, Business Banking Relationship Manager at SunTrust Bank. I just celebrated 10 years with the company in February.

Does that mean you're using your degree?
Yeah I'd say so.

Are you where you pictured yourself being when you were in college?
I don't think I really pictured much of what or where I would be after college. I knew I wanted to get myself set up and established with a job, and fast.... I was fortunate to do that.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I'm in the process of re-examining my goals right now. The past couple of years have really thrown me some curveballs, so I really need to sit down and do some soul searching.

What's your greatest post-BC accomplishment?
Being fortunate enough to be able to work hard (sometimes too hard) to provide for my family everyday.

What's your fondest post-BC memory?
becoming a father. It's completly changed my life. I went from wearing that "corporate hat" everyday to wearing the "number 1 dad hat" everyday.

If you had it to do all over again, would you change anything?
There may have been some things that I might have tweaked along the road. I really do think that I'm where God has planned for me to be though.

Thanks to Brandon for taking the time to participate in Remembering Bluefield. Come back next week for more from another BC alum!

The Good Old Days

Is there anyone out there like me? I'm sure there's not. I'm kind of unique. I mean, I know I have a doppelganger out there. I've met him. Looks just like me. It's off putting. But our personalities are extremely different.

In this instance, I'm wondering if anyone is like me in the sense that we all miss old school Disney cartoons. You know what I'm talking about, right? Old animated shorts starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. These were some of the cartoons I grew up on.

Of course, these were old school 'toons even in the 80s. These were cartoons that were created throughout the 30s & 40s, maybe the 50s too. They're classics. And what do we get today? 3D computer animation. And they aren't just fun anymore. No, they have to teach something.

During my North Carolina years, I spent plenty of time watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Gabby. She was a toddler, so she pretty much got to watch whatever she wanted. MMC was not my first choice.

But I watched plenty of episodes. I didn't exactly get invested in the storylines. I mostly just got annoyed. Mickey & Co. were all the time breaking the fourth wall. Why do creators constantly think this is okay? Dora the Explorer does it too. I get that they want the kids watching to feel like they're contributing to the adventure. But, really, they're falsely teaching kids that the people in the TV can hear them. Believe me, that's not the case.

I don't know how many innocent girls I've tried to warn that the masked killer was right behind them. Those girls always end up dead. They can't hear me at all. The fourth wall is there for a reason. Unless you're Zack Morris or Ferris Bueller, do you really think you have the right to break it?

And here's one of those classics. It was one of my favorites when I was a kid. "Who gets stuck with all the bad luck? No one but Donald Duck!"


My favorite part is where Dale finds the needle in the haystack. He looks so proud of himself. This may be one of the only instances where Donald actually wears pants. Also, after watching it, that final scene is pretty racially insensitive. Ah, different time, 1952.

Reading Blogs

Apparently, Google Reader is dying in July. I feel I should take a moment to mourn this loss. Instead, I'm mostly just outraged.

I read a whole lot of blogs. I mean, I browse a whole lot of blogs and read a few a little more closely. But I keep up with a lot of blogs. And I do this through Google Reader. It's convenient that I'm able to go to one place and find all the blogs and articles that I want to read in one location. What happens when that goes away? Where will I be able to go for a one-stop blog reading spot?

I'm seriously asking this question. Because I have no idea. Not that I've done any actual research on my own. I just found out about the Google Reader thing about 3 minutes ago. But if any of my fellow blog-keepers and blog-readers have any suggestions, I'm all ears. I may have kept this blog for the last 7+ years, but I'm still a novice at all this.

Registering

Remember that epic birthday party I had last Friday? Well, I had an interesting conversation during dinner that I thought may be worth sharing.

The conversation came about when one of my friends brought a birthday gift. Upon opening the bag, I saw that I'd been given a set of Avengers dishes consisting of a plate, a bowl and a cup. The reason for this gift is because I may have mentioned that I don't have any of my own dishes in my current apartment. Pretty thoughtful, right?

The discussion turned to the fact that I don't have dishes, nor do I have furniture, thanks to living in a furnished apartment. I had to explain that I did have furniture at one time, but that I sold everything, including my dishes and cooking utensils, when I moved from North Carolina.

This is where the interesting conversation comes into play. As I was sitting with a couple of single friends, we decided that it seems unfair that people can't register for household items until they decide to get married. What about single folks who live alone for years after college? Like they don't need furnishings and appliances?

Would it be so wrong for a single guy or gal to throw themselves a housewarming party when they move into a new place? Don't you think these single friends could use a toaster or a vacuum cleaner or an espresso machine or one of those new-fangled bladeless fans?

By the way, I'll be moving in July. You can expect to find me registered at Target.

Oz the Great and Powerful

Confession: I've been looking forward to this movie since I first heard it was in the works. If I've never mentioned it before, I love just about all things Oz.

I've probably seen the classic Wizard of Oz film a hundred times. I'm even a fan of Disney's less than stellar Return to Oz. L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that started it all, is my favorite book of all time. I still have the old copy that my aunt gave me for my 6th birthday and read it about once a year.

I admit, I haven't read all the Oz books. But it's worth mentioning that there are dozens of them. Baum himself wrote 14, and I'd love to at least read his original series. Thus far, I've gotten through the first six. I also haven't gotten around to reading Gregory Maguire's Wicked series, though I've heard good things.

Anyway, back to this movie. I was excited when I started seeing trailers for the new Oz. I was intrigued by the idea of a prequel to the classic story that I'd grown up loving. At the same time, loving the original made me skeptical about how good it could possibly be. I had high hopes, but I was cautious.

Oscar Diggs is portrayed by James Franco. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of his. I was somewhat disappointed when news came out that he would be playing the Wizard, as opposed to Johnny Depp or Robert Downey, Jr., who were both attached to the role at one point. That being said, Franco did a great job. He was able to believably play the flawed hero without overselling the part.

Also taking prominent roles are the three witches that had been previously introduced in Oz film history. There's Glinda the Good, who really has no mystery to her character. Then there are Theodora and Evanora, sisters who never had names in the movie or in Baum's books. I know these characters have names in Wicked, but Maguire's work is completely separate from this movie franchise.

The mystery surrounding the sisters mostly has to do with which direction each of these sisters will go. One would be destined to live in the west, the other would end up in the east. We know how their stories end, this is an interesting portrayal of their beginnings.

Theodora is the naive younger sister of Evanora. Her naivete becomes her undoing when she falls in love with Oz, who is little more than a womanizing con man. With some helpful manipulation from her big sister, she proves the old saying that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

As with the orginal film, Oz encounters people and creatures that remind him of folks he'd known back in the real world. Glinda is the spitting image of a woman he loved back in Kansas. A winged monkey who assists him in his quest is similar to the man who was his magician's assistant at his circus. And the little China doll whose legs Oz glues back together is the same as a wheelchair-bound little girl who came to his magic show begging him to make her walk again.

The difference here is that we're not left believing that Oz is a dream land, as it seemed to be where Doroty was concerned. That makes it a little harder to swallow the idea that he could encounter these people from his old life.

I love that there are tons of nods to the original movie. Oz's real world love wears a gingham dress, similar to Dorothy's. She mentions a possible engagement to a John Gale. Any relation to Henry Gale, Dorothy's uncle? The circus where Oz performs his magic act is named after L. Frank Baum. And when the Wizard flies to Oz in his hot air balloon, he literally flies over the rainbow.

I loved this movie. It was amOZing. OZsome. StupendOZ (okay, that's the last one, I promise). I highly recommend seeing it. And see it in 3D. I usually hate 3D, but it's really well done with this movie.

On a side note, I'm also hoping that this will interest a new generation of readers to explore L. Frank Baum's original literary work. They're such great books that really don't get the attention they deserve. If you haven't had a chance to read any of them, by all means, pick them up.

Question of the Week: Risk v. Reward

When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards and just do what you know is right?

Immediately. But that doesn't mean it's easy to just stop thinking things through and acting. I'm not saying that people shouldn't think about their actions. I'm just saying we shouldn't spend a great deal of time over-thinking everything. That's something I do a lot of. So many times in my life, I've over-thought about situations and probably missed out on some opportunities. If you have a decent moral compass and are able to discern the difference between right and wrong, why wait? Do what you know to be right.

Instinct

When you see a butterfly, what's your first reaction? Do you cower in fear? Do you run and hide? Chances are you don't. Unless you have some kind of butterfly phobia that causes you to have an irrational fear of those particular insects. If memory serves, it's called lepidopterophobia. But that's really not important right now. If everyone was exposed to the butterflies in this story, we'd all be lepidopterophobes.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The boys and girls in the lab were just doing what they knew they could do. Looking back, it seems that just because they could do something doesn't necessarily mean they should. They absolutely shouldn't have done this.

When they began their work, the powers that be could have given a number of great reasons why it was important to genetically alter ordinary butterflies. Whatever their reasons, however noble they may have been, it all ended in tragedy.

After breeding several generations of altered butterflies, the insects evolved into something the lab techs could no longer control. The first sign of danger came when the wings became as hard as a diamond. Being as thin as they were, it was as if the butterflies were floating around with razor blades attached to their bodies. Anything they came into physical contact with got shredded.

Next came the change in the butterflies' appetites. No longer were they satisfied with the nectar from flowers. These bugs became bloodthirsty. Their wings gave them easy access to all the blood they could ever desire. There seemed to be no preference for the type of blood they fed on. These new butterflies descended upon animals in the wild, livestock, domesticated pets and, tragically, people.

It was something out of a nightmare. We once lived in a world where butterflies acted skittish and instinctively flew away at the sign of danger. Now the butterflies were predatory in nature. Their only instinct was to attack. And feed.

You Totally Should've Been There

Of course, I'm referring to the most awesome birthday party ever.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I turned 33 on Wednesday. The middle of the work week isn't exactly convenient for throwing a party to celebrate one's birthday. So the celebration was postponed until Friday, yesterday. And it was so worth it.

The evening began with dinner at Macado's. It's a place that's casual and laid-back and has managed to remain my favorite restaurant for years. If you have one near you, I highly recommend visiting someday soon. There are literally dozens of different sandwiches to choose from on the menu, along with a number of other entrees. Personally, I tend to get the same thing every time, a Stogie on Kaiser roll. The Julius Caesar and the Babe Ruth are also good.

We were seated at the back of the restaurant, where there would be plenty of room for a large party of 12. Part of the charm of Macado's is the random decoration all over the place. It's as if the owners just did a random search on eBay for the most random crap they could find. So when you're seated and you look around, you may see model airplanes, framed vintage comic books, old concert posters, street signs or even statues of super heroes.

Side note: When I put out the invitation on Facebook for this unbirthday party, I encouraged people to dress up as super heroes. Only a few took me up on that encouragement. We had a Flash, a Michaelangelo of TMNT fame, a SuperTeacher and a Clark Kent. Of course, I went with Superman. It's what I do.

Special thanks to Michaelangelo for sharing this photo.

Anyway, I sat in a booth without really paying attention to my surroundings. Turns out, directly behind me, standing above my head, was a statue of Clark Kent changing into Superman. I promise you, this was not planned. Obviously, the picture had to be taken. So I climbed up on the back of the booth and posed for the photo op.

Dinner itself included great conversation and lots of laughter. And if that had been all we had done, I'd have considered it a successful birthday party. Excuse me... unbirthday party.

But that wasn't the end of the night. After we had finished eating, we all headed over to a place called Adventure World. It's a place I'd never been before, but I chose it because they offered roller skating and laser tag. That's right. Laser tag.

So we spent a couple hours skating in circles, but took a break to shoot at each other with beams of light in a very dark room. It was all kinds of awesome. I haven't strapped on a laser tag vest since I was a teenager. I don't know why I don't do it more often. I mean, it helps that I was playing the game with a bunch of great people who have become great friends.

I feel like I should be honest about something. I was nervous about how last night would turn out. I've explained on this blog a number of times that I'm pretty introverted. So I have this perception of myself, that I have a great deal of difficulty making new friends and connecting with new people. Maybe this is a misconception. I'm not saying that I'm not an introvert. I'm just saying that maybe I've underestimated my ability to connect with new people. The reason I say that is because every person that came out last night was someone that I've known for less than a year. Most, I've only known for a couple months.

I had been hoping that some of my older friends from the Bluefield days had been able to come. But that just didn't work out. It was a little disappointing, but that's life. The thing is, I was hoping some of those folks would be able to come to serve as a buffer. It would give me a comfort zone. If my introversion caused me to feel awkward around my new friends, I could fall back on my old friends to get me through. As it turns out, I was nervous for nothing.

I had an amazing time with all these new people in my life. And I'm so very grateful to have them in my life now. I am incredibly blessed.

Bonus: I didn't fall while skating. Not even once.

Remembering Bluefield: This Guy

Well, this is a little embarrassing. See, I was supposed to officially begin the "Remembering Bluefield" posts today. Last week, I kind of said that I would do that. The idea is to find different alumni from Bluefield College and have them share their memories, as well as where they are now. Since it was David Lowe's idea, the idea was to have him be the first interviewee. But I kind of had a hard time coming up with proper interview questions. And I didn't get the questions to him until yesterday. And, well, life being what it is, I didn't provide him with enough time to get the answers to me by the time I needed to post today's blog. But I've spoken with him and he's assured me that the answers will be back here next week.

So for this week, you're stuck with me. Chances are, all the information found in my answers to the questions can be gleaned from the past 6 years of blog posts. But you'd have to do a lot of research to pull them all together. I don't expect that of anyone. Except for my Number One Fan. Hey, Number One Fan, wherever you may be, whoever you are, I bet you know all these answers before I even tell them. Memo to self: once I gain a little more popularity, I should have a contest to determine my Number One Fan. It will be my greatest triumph!

I digress...

When did you graduate?
May 2003

What degree did you earn?
B.A. - Christian Studies; B.A. - Behavioral Science (that's right, I got two)

What drew you to Bluefield College?
It's where my youth minister had gone, so there was that connection. Once I visited the school, I decided that I really liked the smallness of the place. I went to a large high school and mostly felt lost for 4 years. I didn't want to feel that way at college.

What kept you there?
I almost decided to transfer after my freshman year. But then I went on a mission trip with the BSU during Spring Break. That's where I really started to come out of my shell and make some of the best friendships I've ever had.

Is there a class that changed your life? If so, what?
I wouldn't say there's a particular class that changed my life or changed my perspective on things. A lot of my Christian Studies courses were eye opening and really caused me to think about my beliefs and my faith. Not in a questioning-God's-existence kind of way. Just in a way that made my faith even stronger than it had been growing up.

What teacher had the biggest impact on you? Why?
I have to pick two here: Dr. Ken Lyle and Dr. Eddie Stepp. Both of these guys were Christian Studies professors. Dr. Lyle was also our campus minister. I was privileged to spend a lot of time in conversation with both of these men. By the end of my college career, I felt that I could count them as friends, not just teachers.

Did you live on campus or commute?
On campus all five years. Yeah, five. But I got two degrees. So... yeah...

Who were your roommates?
So many... Freshman Year - Landon Walls, then Kevin Anderson; Sophomore Year - Phil Kidd and Ronchez Hancock; Junior Year - Dave Lowe; 1st Senior Year - Mark Hipes, Brandon Caldwell and Dereck Harris; 2nd Senior Year - had my own room.

Share an epic roommate story (if you have one).
So many... Well, Landon used to stumble into the room in the middle of the night while I tried to get my rest for the next day's 8am class. Kevin had nothing in the room. The only things we had were the furnishings provided by the school and the small TV I decided to bring from home. It was a very Spartan semester. Ronchez kind of had an emotional breakdown one night. Scared Phil and I to death. We were really worried about him, but he turned out all right in the end. I introduced Dave to his wife. I only stuck with Mark, Brandon and Dereck for one semester before I ended up getting my own room. The introvert in me couldn't handle sleeping in the same room with three other people. Don't get me wrong, I still love those guys like brothers. They're just the brothers I like to know are down the hall instead of right on top of me making fun of me when I talk in my sleep.

What's your most cherished Bluefield College memory?
Just about any memory that involves singing with Variations and/or Praise Singers. I loved singing in college. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the people I sang with in those choirs are possibly the most talented musicians I've ever encountered in my life. For such a small school, there was an extraordinary number of gifted people there. I particularly remember visiting DisneyWorld on choir tour. While waiting in line for some of the rides, we would break into a capella versions of our repertoire. All kinds of fun.

Where are you now?I'm currently living in Radford, VA. Not too far from the old alma mater.

What are you doing?
I work as a Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselor with Family Preservation Services. I also fold clothes for the good folks at Old Navy from time to time.

Does that mean you're using your degree?
I'm definitely using the Behavioral Science degree, yes.

Are you where you pictured yourself being when you were in college?
Not quite, but I was never one to really set goals for myself back in college. That whole goal-setting frame of mind didn't really develop until the last year or so.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I would like to be certified to teach and have my own classroom somewhere. I wouldn't mind finding a good girl to start building a life with. Not necessarily married yet, but on the way to it would be nice. Never thought I'd be ready to admit that's something I want.

What's your greatest post-BC accomplishment?
I don't think I've reached it yet. Stay tuned.

What's your fondest post-BC memory?
Again, there are a lot. Any time I'm back together with my college friends. We're scattered all over the place these days, but whenever we get together, it's like no time has passed. Specifically, though, I have to go with the road trip to Indianapolis with Mark, Brandon and Andy.

If you had it to do all over again, would you change anything?
Not a single thing.

Super Hero Stories

Recently, I saw a couple interesting stories on the news. These reports are making me believe that we may be close to entering an age when super powered individuals walk (or fly) among us.

The first story is about a little boy who fell out of a third story window in an apartment building. Not only did he live to tell the tale, but he walked away with barely a scratch. According to reports, he fell out the window and landed on his feet.

The boy's mother stated that she felt horrible for allowing something like that to happen. As a preventative measure, she's looking for a new apartment. Something on the ground floor. I say go the other way. Test this kid's invulnerability a little. I'm not saying someone should drop him from a plan. But what about a fourth story window?

Another story I heard was about a guy in Great Britain who dressed as Batman. This vigilante captured a burglar and hand delivered him to the police. The police booked the criminal but were unable to question the Batman. He left before they could even get his name.

Of course they didn't get his real name. It's called a secret identity. As a man, he's flesh and blood. He can be ignored. He can be destroyed. But as a symbol... As a symbol he can be incorruptible. He can be everlasting.

The day after seeing that story, the media revealed that the man behind the mask was just a delivery driver named Stan. He delivered a friend to the police because his friend was voluntarily turning himself in for crimes he had committed. Stan just thought it would be funny to drop him off at the station dressed as Batman.