Free. Sample. Put the words together and you have a worthwhile experience with no commitment nor payment required. Tiny hand lotions, Southwest Airlines' peanuts, mini Bagel Bites - a day enhanced by a free sample is automatically a good day. Regardless of quality, or lack thereof, you should always take advantage of complimentary ... [Read More…]

If you stumbled upon a little Web site known as Facebook last week, you may have observed a sudden boost in the attractiveness of many of your friends. Perhaps their smiles really did miraculously straighten and their features realigned to perfect proportion, but more than likely, your friends just changed their profile pictures to ... [Read More…]

I came home one night last week stressed out of my mind. I had bitten off all my fingernails; I had consumed more than 10 cups of coffee in 12 hours, and I had Post-it notes on every surface in my room reminding me of stressors to anticipate. And, I had one million pages of what seems like a foreign language to read for Communication Law by 8 a.m. ... [Read More…]

If you needed a blessing Sunday evening, all you had to do was pick up the phone and dial any church in Abilene. A bland, yet kind voice would have thanked you for calling, informed you of the church's office hours and wished you on your blessed way. Had you needed more than prerecorded encouragement, almost any restaurant or major retailer would ... [Read More…]

In a momentary and inexplicable lack of judgment, I watched the Grammys instead of the NFL Pro Bowl. I actually enjoyed the event, but the attire was what caught my attention. I couldn't care less about fashion - I have five pairs of shoes. I'm not sure what "chic" means, and I think DKNY sounds like an airport code. Regardless of my blissful ... [Read More…]

Could and should Texas secede from the Union? It's an incredibly bogus question, and yet not one but two gubernatorial candidates are proposing the idea. "There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, ... [Read More…]

I have a new obsession involving Gummi bears and vitamins. How might these two substances mix, you ask? In the form of Gummi bear vitamins, of course. I know your mind is blown - mine was too. It's not that I haven't had my fair share of Flintstones vitamins as a kid or any other flavored multivitamins marketed to the undeveloped taste of ... [Read More…]

Anyone who has ever helped plan a wedding has most likely used the term "Bridezilla" to describe the demanding, emotional and irrational attitude of the bride-to-be. When my older sister accepted her boyfriend's proposal this summer, I officially used the word for the first time. Don't get me wrong. I love my sister and compared to other ... [Read More…]

If you've ever spent a weekend in Abilene searching for charming, small-town finds but ended up resorting to yet another movie night, try following everyone else and leave Abilene for the weekend. Abilene is great, but you have all week here. You have all week here for four years - so get out of here. You'll probably end up in one of the three ... [Read More…]

ACU campus is a dead, lonely place to be on Saturday afternoons. With the wind howling around me and the smell of dirt in the air, I can walk from end to end on campus without seeing a soul after the usual Friday afternoon exodus. I used to imagine college as a scene displayed in a prospective student brochure, where Frisbees were constantly in ... [Read More…]