Silent Night

So, my college did a thing. Actually, we've been doing it for thirty years; a pretty cool thing, in fact. If I have my facts straight, ESPN has actually named it as a top-ten college sports traditions in America, and they send guys to film it each year, which is pretty cool. My residence floor usually gets special notice by the camera people, cause we're crazy.

What is the thing? It's called Silent Night, a Taylor tradition where, for the basketball game played at home during the weekend before finals, practically EVERY student on campus shows up to spectate, most in full costume . . . and no one says anything. Nope; for ten points, it's completely silent. No clapping, no cheering, no drama. BUT YOU SHOULD SEE THAT TENTH POINT. Craziness ensues, with students mobbing the courts and everyone screaming and they actually pause the game for us. Eventually we return to the sidelines, but we don't stop screaming before the end of the game, at which time we all file over to the dining commons for Christmas cookies and karaoke, and President Habecker's wife reads us the story of Christ's birth.

Here's a cbs sports article about Silent Night: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24869579/taylor-universitys-silent-night-gives-us-another-memorable-moment.
In the videos, you might notice a swarm of yellow-and-black clad figures buzzing the court . . . that's my floor. Naw, we're not firemen; we're supposed to be bees. We're fun like that.

Anyway, it's a pretty cool tradition. Along with the craziness, this year a group of students also held up signs saying #blacklivesmatter, in recognition of all that's going on in Ferguson. I'm proud of my school for using the publicity to present a stance on things, and also to enjoy themselves and enjoy the insanity.

And here's a longer video of last year's Silent Night

the Word

the Word 

There once was a man with a silver sword 

Who whispered an almost forgotten word. 

The word grew loud though the man didn’t shout 

Soon other men tasted it inside their mouths. 

The word spread wide like a poisonous cough 

Till the king of the land had heard it enough. 

He built a great fire and burnt the black word 

And he slaughtered the man with the silver sword. 

But the word whispered soft from among the flames 

Twisted with smoke, all faded and gray. 

Throughout the wide kingdom, the word was heard 

And no man could kill that absurd little word. 

The word became twisted the further it grew 

It rotted and blistered near all the way through. 

But the green heart remained with the sap of the word 

Till along one day came a silver sword. 

It pierced the word to its greenwood heart 

And discerned the root of the word’s many parts. 

And they say that the word will be whispered again 

By the man at the desk with the silver pen.