In Thursday’s blog, I highlighted my favorite things. Getting to the point, these would be: 

1.) Toastmasters meetings and other big events like the speech contests. I get to reconnect with other members and meet new people along the way. 

2.) Fall, because it brings a change in the weather and lots of color. That doesn’t just mean the leaves changing on the trees. It’s a new season of football at the high school, college, and professional levels.

3.) New shows to enjoy. Recently, I finished the reboot of King of the Hill on Disney+ and enjoyed it. The show was renewed for a second season in 2026. 

Yesterday, the Paper premiered on Peacock, from the creators of another iconic show, The Office. Like that show, the Paper is a mockumentary and if you’re a fan of Dunder Mifflin you may notice a few familiar names. Greg Daniels is creator, and one of the episodes was directed by Ken Kwapis. An old face returns for the new series, and that’s Oscar. Not sure what his role will be, as I’ve only watched two episodes. I plan to take the month of September to watch all ten episodes so I’ll have a better idea on how I feel about this show. 

Other than Oscar Nunez, the only other recognizable name on the show is Domnhall Gleeson. You may remember him as eldest Weasley child Bill in a few of the Harry Potter movies.

Just as I would root for the Stars Hollow Gazette if that ever became a Gilmore Girls-themed spinoff, I’ll do the same for the Toledo Truth Teller. Now onto the sports page. 

The NFL kicked off its 2025 season Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles were an 8 ½ point favorite, and there was drama right off the bat. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct when he spit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. That may have been the deciding factor between a close game and a blowout. I’m quite surprised Dallas kept it close. It was a much improved performance from them after scoring only 13 points in the two meetings last year. 

Severe weather delayed the game for over an hour in the third quarter. After play resumed just after 11:30 PM EDT, both teams’ offenses went into the tank. The s Eagles escaped with the victory, but it was too close. I had the score at 34-17. It’s the first game and things will get better. Time to rest, regroup, and get ready for Big Red and the Chiefs next Sunday. 

Looking ahead this weekend, the Steelers’ 2025 season opens in New York against the Jets in a battle of two quarterbacks facing their old teams. A great division rivalry resumes later when the Lions travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers. These two teams should battle it out for the NFC North in 2025. Sunday night brings a divisional playoff rematch to the table when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens travel to Buffalo to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. It will be the final home opener in Orchard Park, N.Y. before the team moves into its new stadium in 2026. 

Tuesday night we returned to our normally scheduled in person Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. Last time, we couldn’t get our normal meet spot due to the room being unavailable. No worries though as the meeting was a success.

We heard about the International Convention from our Program Quality Director. Sharon was our backup speaker and her speech covered some of the changes that will be taking place in the next Toastmasters year.

I gave a speech from the Presentation Mastery path. It was an elective from Level 4 and the project was right up my alley. For my “Write A Compelling Blog” project, I celebrated 25 years (to the exact day) since moving into my dorm room at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. I shared the reason why I started my academic journey there and not at Westmoreland County Community College. The title of my speech was “Climbing the Mountain”. In it, I referred to college as a mountain that we climb. The top of the peak is the goal we want to achieve, I.e. graduating with a degree. I also cited the drive to the school as part of the climb, as we drove up through the Laurel Ridge on PA 271.

The theme for our meeting was “Summertime Simmer”. It was appropriate as the season is starting to wind down and we look ahead to (or dread) the Fall season.

We had a guest in attendance at our meeting, Josh, whom new member Will invited to the meeting.

I welcomed the Fall-like temperatures on Tuesday. Go figure as three months earlier, I wondered if we’d ever see warm weather and sunshine as the second half of May saw a damp and cool weather pattern. I would have even preferred snow flurries and 30’s. At the end of August, I’m enjoying this September-like stretch. After a mild start to the new month, cooler weather may be back for the start of the NFL season.

My speech got some rave reviews from some of the members as well as our guest. I also wrote a blog about “Climbing the Mountain”, which was my 100th blog post for 2025. Currently, I’m putting the finishing touches on #101. The blog post is more detailed than the speech I gave Tuesday night. It’s pretty impressive that I can recall some of the things I did during my first semester of college in the Fall of 2000.

Our next three meetings are scheduled for September 9, September 23, and October 14. That last date I will not be there as I will en route to Johnstown to visit their Toastmasters meeting in person. I signedeup to evaluate a speech at the September 9 meeting. That Thursday (September 11), I will be attending the Western Maryland Toastmasters meeting online.

I’m working on this blog as I’ve already attended my meeting for the week. At the time though, I wasn’t sure whether or not to make this my speech or invocation.

August 26 is a special day for me. On this day 25 years ago, my family and I were on our way to Johnstown. The purpose was to move me into my dorm room at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. My aunt and sister drove to Ames just down the road at the Westwood Plaza to pick up hangers for my closet. After getting me moved in,  we ate dinner at Ryan’s next to the Johnstown Galleria. Ryan’s is long gone and the Galleria has really changed as malls have been on the way out. I’m really dating myself, but Richland Mall was still around in 2000. The mall itself was closed but the K-Mart and Ames remained open. 

That weekend was a changing of the guard as I would be away from home for the first time in my life. I’d still come home on weekends for the first couple of months. Eventually, I’d gain enough courage to stay on Saturdays and Sundays. During the week I’d live in one of the dorm rooms and take my classes at the school. It was hard for both my mother and me as we parted ways that Sunday. We were both dealing with a new season in our lives. I would be home for the Labor Day holiday weekend that Friday. 

It didn’t have to happen, and I was more than qualified to attend the local community college. I couldn’t leave this out of the speech but my mom thought it was better for me to attend and live at HGA so I could learn to be independent. It was a decision that has shaped me into who I am today. I like to joke that while Slippery Rock was a great experience, HGA has the upper hand. 

When I came up with the title for this speech, “Climbing the Mountain”, it related to the drive up there. We took US 30 to Ligonier and after going through town, eventually hit PA 271 which went up the mountain to a beautiful suburb called Westmont. It also related to the hilltop the school is on, and fittingly enough the school district there is named Westmont Hilltop. Third, college itself is its own mountain. We climb that mountain with a goal of reaching the top (which can be defined as achieving our diploma or degree). 

Some of my most fond memories being at the Hiram G. Andrews Center include: 

Taking part in recreational activities after classes let out for the day. The school had a nice rec hall where you could do lots of things. Going to dances a couple of nights a week and taking part in bowling at Richland Lanes were two of my favorite activities. 

Learning the public transportation system around Westmont, which would benefit me later on in time there. The first time I took part in riding the bus, I got a free trip to the Galleria Mall. 

Having family nearby while I was attending the school. My relatives were in Somerset and Berlin and my cousin was living in Johnstown. We got together a few times while I was at school. 

Just that first semester alone brought many memories of my time there. Having my cousin give me a grand tour of Johnstown early in my first semester; purchasing some nice things from the student store; going with my aunt on a Saturday morning to a craft show and then having lunch at Eat’n Park. We also went to the Galleria a few times to have lunch and go Christmas shopping.

My classes helped me ease into college life. When I started at HGA, I didn’t have a major like everyone else. I was listed as a Pre-Baccalaureate major and my plan was to transfer in the Spring. I wouldn’t be going far though. Like every place I’ve been, there was drama. Being a new student, there was a chance that I could get taken advantage of. As a matter of fact, that did happen to me a few times at the school.

I only took classes at the school for one semester, as stated in my original plans. I transferred to the local community college, which had a branch at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. I continued to live in the dorms while taking classes there.

HGAC was a stepping stone in my academic career. In a future blog, I want to discuss what it meant to climb the mountain along with what obstacles I had to face along the way. That and dealing with anxiety and nervous ticks while in college and as a young adult.

Twenty two years and half my life ago. That’s how long it’s been since I continued my academic journey at Slippery Rock University. The Slippery Rock season gets lost in the shuffle sometimes because my Hiram G. Andrews Center season carries a lot more weight. 

I had just graduated from the community college in May with my Associates and was on to the next chapter in my life. Out of all the brochures I looked at on Transfer Day that prior October, the Rock was the school that was calling my name. IUP and Edinboro were my second and third choices. 

That Friday morning (August 22), a team of volunteers helped me with the stuff I was bringing into my dorm room, making for a stress-free move in. We stopped off in Grove City for lunch and some time at the Outlets before I said my goodbyes. There were some tears, but they were short-lived. I had my first dinner that night in Weisenfluh, made some new friends, and met a few more in one of the off-campus residence halls. The first night is in the books. A new era is set to begin. 

My first semester would be quite an adjustment from what I was used to. I had to get my running shoes on to get to some of my classes. To be fair though, I did have to commute from the Hiram G. Andrews Center to Richland or Downtown plenty of times. It wasn’t bad to walk the campus on sunny days. On days with rain, snow, or freezing rain, it was a much different story. 

It was a new adventure on a campus much bigger than I had been used to. It was expected to have growing pains as I let HGA and Johnstown go and begin to embrace Slippery Rock. I crushed on a girl and when she turned me down, let me with a broken heart. To be fair, she had three years on campus while I was just getting established. I dealt with the pain and moved on, realizing that rejection is just a part of life.

We had fun on Saturday morning as we were introduced to the campus and university life. Under the stars, we enjoyed Bruce Almighty and some good tunes. Looking back, Pirates of the Caribbean might have been a better choice. When I think about it, Bruce Almighty was my introduction to Michael Scott.

The real test would come Monday morning. Some of my classes would chew me up and spit me out.

I was introduced to a great book in my management class. The subject was on change. The book was titled, “Who Moved My Cheese”. This fall, I plan to revisit that book and reread it the week that I am off.

In October, I attended a retreat at Camp Sequanota, a place that’s near and dear to my cousins as they spent many summers there. I tried to deal with my mental health issues the best I could during that first semester. When it was all said and done, my final grade point average for the Fall 2003 semester was a 2.6. It was far from where I wanted to be, but I survived nonetheless.

Clearly, I had some work to do.