Two things should be outlawed in college: rolling backpacks and group projects. I've never been an advocate of group projects. I'll be honest, I've never been one who "plays well with others." I remember my parents scolding me after a parent-teacher conference when I was in the third grade.
It had actually been semi-exciting to watch the University of Tennessee football team start to play competitively, rather than waiting for the mediocre high school-caliber teams to come up on their schedule. It has also been interesting to watch a coach, Lane Kiffin, who has proven so little with the headset on, talk so much about what he is going to do in the near future.
I have been a Johnson City resident for most of my life, and I claim Appalachia as my home. I had not heard of coal ash until the Kingston, Tenn., coal slurry spill that occurred last year. This incident was alarming and tragic and was said to have been a hundred times worse than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill that occurred in Alaska in 1989.
Three days ago, I thought Tennessee was the last place I wanted to be. I wanted to get out and travel. I wanted a break from Johnson City. It's not that I don't like the town, I just wanted a break. I decided to book a flight to Chicago, Ill., and take the break I thought I wanted.