Freshman Ryan Gill spent the months prior to the Christmas season hand delivering and handwriting over 1,000 Christmas cards.
The cards went to Gill’s closest family and friends. Each card was personally picked and inside included a handwritten note outlining Gill’s feelings and memories with the person.
After all the cards were handed out, he stated that is cost him $315.37. “Seeing the joyous reactions on their faces really makes that cost worth while and then some,” Gill said.
This past Summer Gill also finished his autobiography, a book he hopes to share with his peers.
The book goes through his childhood years, from birth to the beginning of college. It also includes many of his beliefs and idea’s as well as how his battle with Leukemia as a child impacted his life.

The Oakland Post got a chance to talk to Rockwell in a conference call for student news outlets around the country this week:

Question: Since Justin Hammer is so different in the comics than the character you play in the movie, was it freeing for you as an actor to be able to create your own version of the character?

Sam Rockwell: Yes. (Jon) Favreau (director) really kind of just let me be myself and do my thing, you know?  We were never going to try and do the ascot British accent thing.

Q: How was it like playing the villain?

SR: It’s fun playing bad guys.  You get to break all the rules and it’s a fun challenge.

Q: How much did you know about Justin Hammer and “Iron Man” in general before you took the role?

SR: I knew very little.  Actually, I knew nothing.  I got the comic books as soon as I got the part and looked at them a little bit.  The role was described to me by Justin Theroux (writer) and Jon Favreau.

Q: There was a lot of secrecy around the production of the film.  Were there any moments where you had to check yourself to make sure you didn’t slip out any crucial details?

SR: Well, all the script pages have your name on them so if get them out you get sued because your name is on them.  You have to be careful what you say, it’s very top-secret.

Q: What makes a big budget production better than an indie film?

SR: This movie kind of felt like an indie a lot of times.  It was a very actor friendly set.  You do get a bigger dressing room, you’re getting paid a little more money.

Q: What distinguishes Jon Favreau from all the other directors out there making movies?

SR: He’s a real good actor and…he understands how to make things fresh and real.  He’s got a big bulls**t meter.  He knows when it doesn’t feel real.  I think that’s what made the first “Iron Man” so unique.  He wanted to make it seem like this could really happen.

Q: Did you see a lot of improvisation or adlibbing in “Iron Man 2″?

SR: Most of it was Justin Theroux.  I did very little improvisations.  I’m a pretty good improviser, but I like a little structure and the writers provided that.

Q: How did you get involved in the project in the first place?

SR: I knew Justin Theroux (writer).  Jon Favreau and I had done “Made” together with Vince Vaughn.  Jon had called me for the screen testing for Tony Stark.  It didn’t come together and Downey got the part and was of course amazing.  Things just fell into place.

Q: Your popularity as an actor is higher than ever.  When you set out to become an actor did you ever think you’d be so successful?

SR: No. I thought I would maybe do some summer stock theatre program.  I didn’t know what was going to happen.

Q: You seem to have dance scenes in a lot of your movies.  Is this a personal choice or do directors just love seeing you dance?

SR: I think sometimes they know I can dance and so I ham it up a little bit, you know?

Q: Do you prefer sci-fi roles to more conventional, life-like roles?

SR: It’s all acting to me. I just do what they tell me.  They’re all just human beings to me.

Q: What are some of your best movies you’ve worked on?

SR: I’ve worked on some really great movies.  Maybe “Iron Man,” “Moon,” “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” and probably “Snow Angels” to name a few.

Q: Any news on “Iron Man 3″ or who will be in the upcoming “Avengers” movie?

SR: No, but I hope I’m in them.

While it is far too early in the season to make any declarations about the 2010 Detroit Tigers, it’s never too soon for premature observations.

The most obvious theme with this year’s team is its new look. There is new blood in the Tigers’ clubhouse this season. Out went Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Edwin Jackson and Fernando Rodney. In came two rookies, a young power pitcher, and a veteran closer.

Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore – the two rookies on this club – were handed starting jobs the first day of spring. Through the first seven games of this season, they look to be deserving of that trust. Jackson fills the vacated spots in center field and atop the batting order which were previously held by Granderson as Sizemore has taken over at second base. Second-year pitcher Max Scherzer is the new next big thing in the Tigers rotation and Jose Valverde owns the ninth inning role.

The young guys are still trying to make a name for themselves in the big leagues, and they will be complemented with a handful of veterans – all with something to prove.

Carlos Guillen and Jeremy Bonderman are trying to return to form after multiple injuries plagued last season. Magglio Ordonez is trying to regain the power that mysteriously left him a year ago, when he accounted for only nine home runs and 50 RBI. Johnny Damon, also new to the team this year, would love to show the Yankees that replacing him is not as easy as signing a low-budget vet like Randy Winn. Dontrelle Willis got a three-year contract worth $29 million when he arrived in Detroit in 2008 and has just one win to show for it. He spent much of last season on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder – likely a result of being a soft-tossing lefty who couldn’t throw strikes.

And then there’s Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera was rumored to have a drinking problem of John Daly like standards, and a 7 a.m. breathalyzer reading of .26 last October supported that stigma. He’s put down the bottle and picked up a bat and has been raking pitchers in the early going of this season – hitting .522 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

What this team has is a collective chip on its shoulder. The makeup of this roster is more like the World Series team from 2006 than the $130-plus million payroll teams that followed in ’08 and ’09. Less flash, more grit.

Detroit is off to a 5-2 start through its first seven games, and four of those wins were in come-from-behind fashion – perhaps the most notable victory being a 9-8 triumph over Cleveland after trailing 7-1 in the sixth inning.

The downside of the Tigers’ quick start is that their early games have been against Kansas City and Cleveland – two teams likely to battle it out for last place in the American League Central Division this year. After wrapping up their home series with Kansas City today (Wednesday, April 14) the Tigers will travel to the West Coast for an 11-game road trip.

The trip starts at Seattle on Friday, and then goes to Anaheim to face the Angels before concluding against the Texas Rangers. None of those teams are expected to be great this season, but all have a pedigree of playing well at home.

Whether the Tigers are good or not should not be up for debate. They are good. The question is are they better than the next guy? Detroit was good last year, and finished second in its division to a Minnesota Twins team that was just that much better. The regular season ends in October, leaving nothing to be decided in April.

All the Tigers can do right now is to avoid losing what they may have a chance to win later on. And so far, they have been able to do so.

Wake up … Rockstar. First class: Rockstar. Lunch is, yeah, a Rockstar. Drive to work — survey says: Rockstar. At work; cups and cups of coffee. I ran on this mix, along with two to four hours of sleep at night, for a year. How I managed not to die, I have yet to figure out.

Coffee: Best. Discovery. Ever. I consume, in general, at least two cups of coffee a day and this keeps me humming along through the day with no crash. To anyone who has made the switch like me, you’ll notice one thing: a cleaner energy buzz. Coffee caffeine has a much more sustainable and longer lasting buzz than energy drinks.

The wonderful bean comes in just as many different varieties as energy drinks as well. For you those of you who are just starting you transition, Rockstar and Monster both make a coffee drink that merges the gap into the wonderful world of coffee.

For that quick spike that an energy drink gives you, I recommend picking up a can of Starbucks Doubleshot. The small ones, not a tall boy.

Another good choice is the Starbucks bottled drinks. They make due when you don’t have an establishment nearby, but I mean at this point, where ISN’T a Starbucks within a mile of you?

When you are ready to dump head into a love a coffee, I recommend you look around for a place to pick up a good brew. I’ve tried Biggby, Starbucks (obviously), Caribou, Tim Hortons, Dunkin’ Donuts and Seattle Drip in the retail division and in the home division I’ve tried Maxwell House, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks (again, obviously), Eight O’Clock and Folgers. I cannot count the number of smaller, independent brands I’ve tried as well.

No one coffee company is right for everyone and coffee is an acquired taste so you will have to experiment to find the one that works best for you. A tip for those of you who want to save a little cash and brew at home: Remember to clean your coffee pot. About once a month your will want to run some vinegar through your coffee maker then clean water after that. It will help improve the taste of your coffee immensely.

Oakland split a doubleheader on Friday, April 2 – losing the first game 6-1 and winning 3-1 in the nightcap. The Grizzlies picked up a 4-2 win in the series finale played Saturday, April 3.

“It was very, very crucial for us to win at least two of these games so that we could stay in the running with the other teams in our league,” OU softball coach Jane Zimmerman said.

Senior Katie Dreyer hit her third home run of the season in the front end of the doubleheader and junior Marisa Everitt went the distance in nightcap and recorded eight strikeouts. Brittany Doyle (8-10) received the loss for OU in the first game, as she allowed eight hits and six runs, only one of them earned, and recorded two walks and a strikeout in seven innings.

“We didn’t come out with a lot of fire in the first game,” Zimmerman said. “We played much better in the second game. We played with a lot more energy and did what we had to do.”

The Grizzlies carried that energy over into Saturday’s game, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to win 4-2. Everitt (4-6) and junior Alison Tansel split the pitching duties in the third and final game, with Everitt pitching the first four innings and Tansel closing the game out. Both pitchers kept the ball down and made scoring runs difficult for the IUPUI hitters.

“They did a great job,” Zimmerman said. “Hansel has been working very well coming in for relief and that was the plan for today because Marisa (Everitt) pitched the whole second game of the doubleheader yesterday so they were getting used to seeing her pitches. I think Tansel coming in, as a different kind of pitcher, kind of threw them off.”

Oakland used a simple technique to produce most of its offense – the bunt. Senior Ashley Sullivan laid down a bunt in the second inning which led to an error by IUPUI and two runs for the Grizzlies. Sullivan advanced to third on the play.

The Jaguars botched another Oakland bunt in the fifth inning, this time on a squeeze play from Dreyer. After the bunt was put in play, senior Anne Cincchini came in from third base and plowed into the IUPUI catcher, knocking the ball loose and leading to two more runs and a 4-1 lead for the Grizzlies.

“Sometimes the bunt works and sometimes it doesn’t and it just happened to work out in favor today,” Zimmerman said. “The squeeze play (in the fifth inning) was a big momentum changer for us.”

The Jags threatened a comeback in the top of the sixth after a double by Laura Wilcox moved pinch runner Kristine Grohnke to third base and sacrifice fly by Sydney Miller brought Grohnke home for a 4-2 score. But Tansel struck out the last batter to retire the side and forced three groundouts in the top of the seventh to secure the win.

Oakland scored four runs off five hits with no errors, while IUPUI recorded two runs off six hits, committing two errors.

“The team is starting to come together now and they are finally seeing what they are able to do,” Zimmerman said. “It’s all about momentum. We need to carry this momentum and confidence into the next two weeks for some big league matchups.

Oakland travels to Western Michigan today (April 7) for a doubleheader with the Eagles. The Grizzlies will resume league play at home on April 9 with a three-game series against North Dakota State.

Picture a room lined with blackjack tables manned by dealers with painted faces and masquerade masks. The house band the Swing Kings play to a crowd of people eating catfish fingers and coconut shrimp and standing in front of Tomb Raider slot machines.

A man walking on stilts weaves through a throng of people while colored lights flash across the walls.

This was the scene not at a casino in New Orleans, but at the Oakland Center on Saturday.

Students gathered for a Mardi Gras-themed casino night in the OC’s banquet hall. The event was put on by Student Program Board and the Residence Halls. Jermaine Conaway, Chair of Golden Events at SPB, said all the dealers were regular OU students recruited through Facebook.

“[Casino Night] has been a pretty big tradition here, but this year we decided to do a Mardi Gras thing,” Conaway said.

Each student was given ten black chips as they went into the casino. After they finished gaming, each black chip could be redeemed for a raffle ticket towards a number of prizes, including a LCD TV, a digital camera, a 64 gigabyte iPod, a Garmin 225w, and Xbox 360, and a Blu-ray player. Though anyone could participate in casino night, only OU students could redeem prizes.

Before the event, a line of people waiting to get in snaked from the stairs by the banquet hall to the bathrooms in the cafeteria. Students of differing skill levels waited to play craps, blackjack, poker, roulette, and slots.

Integrative studies student Drew Spencer said he plays cards pretty regularly, so he felt confident going in. But he joked that casino night would be best if they had Rock Paper Scissors inside as well.

Jieun Choi, a political science major, said that although she doesn’t normally play card games, she saw the event advertised on Facebook and decided to go because her friends were going as well.

She said it would be great if she could win one of the TVs as a raffle prize, but she really just wanted to have fun with her friends.

The oddest attraction at casino night was likely the giant inflatable slot machine, which patrons could enter and try to grab fake money blown around by a fan. More casino chips were awarded to those who grabbed enough of the dollars, although only every 25^th entry into the casino was able to enter the slot machine.

Students that has run out of chips retired to eat New Orleans-style food and in some small part enjoy the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras.

Casino night was a part of OU’s Homecoming celebration, which concludes on Sunday.

First Apple gets my hopes up for an iAwesome and instead gives me an
iPad, and then they’re lying to me with words like “magical” and
“unbelievable price”? I’m heartbroken.

The iPad, Apple’s newest advance as a tablet computer, was unveiled on
Jan. 27 and is set to release in March for Wi-Fi models and April for
3G.

Just like it was either MySpace or Xanga a decade ago, 2010 demands
you’re either a Mac or a PC. As a PC, I’ve tried to be accepting of
the new products Apple tries to release to us with jaw dropping price
marks. Honestly, I have. I hardly slept the night the iPad might have
been released because I was too busy praying that it would be
something worth note. But no. Instead of getting a beautiful
fairy-dust-spewing “magical” tablet with the newest Mac OS to make da
Vinci worthy Photoshop pieces with our hands, I get what I already
have. An iPod Touch. Magnified x277.

Now I know all the mac lovers are trying to figure out how to switch
windows out of this article back to whatever they were doing
before(which the iPad can’t do, by the way), but Apple has given me a
very strong argument for why I look at its new announcement with a
distasteful eye. It’s missing a lot more than a reasonable name.

The iPad does not have any ports for USB drives, nothing for HDMI
output, and possibly most disappointing of all, it doesn’t have Flash.
All of the work Apple has put into making the Macbook thin and
innovative yet completely functional and up-to-date was just erased
from the drawing board for the iPad. They erased multitasking as well,
meaning that you can’t dig up the newest drama via someone’s status on
facebook and tab out to send an instant message about it. Sorry.

It feels like Apple stretched out an iPod Touch, repackaged it and is
trying to sell it as “new”  and “ground breaking.” What’s new,
honestly? We have the same app market, the same accelerometer… it’s
just larger, brighter and lighter.

But there must be a reason it doesn’t come with ports. Seems that it’s
a very good excuse to tack on all of the “essential” items that the
owner is expected to purchase with it. Such accessories included are a
case for $40, an SD/USB connection kit for $30, and a VGA display
adapter for another $30. And guess what else you can get for your
iPad? A keyboard for $70. Hmn.

If you purchase an iPad with a keyboard, output the display to another
monitor, and get the USB adapter … looks like you should just get a
Macbook. It’s practically the same price and get this: you can do all
these things at once (and even multitask)! Now there’s some
innovation.

Should I have expected this? Am I out of the loop? Did everyone else
know it was going to be the ‘iCraptastic nine thousand’ except me, the
dreamer of a functional, gorgeous piece of machinery to reinvent the
future of technology?

Then again, it certainly has a few qualities of note. Yes it’s
gorgeous. Yes I reeeeally want to lay down and watch Star Trek on it.
I’m sure its wonderful to be able to literally thumb through news
articles and e-books. Plus, it’s only 1.5 pounds with a near 10-inch
screen.

It’s not that it’s a complete flop, I just wish it had more. But it’s
all the same, and I don’t want to pay at a minimum $500 for a Super
Sized iTouch. And that’s just the bottom line.

Why the hell does Apple assume we, as a nation of five by five feet
plasma screens and Blu-rays, want to purchase a $500 super-touch to
stand on a $70 dock to watch a $10 downloaded movie? (not to mention
an extra $130 for 3G). You want decent 32gig memory, internet and
movies? $760. Pay up.

It’s like the more I research this thing, the more I have to complain
about. That’s really not a good thing.

Gizmodo writer Wilson Rothman says in a recent article, “We can sit
here in our geeky little dorkosphere arguing about it all day, but as
much as Apple clearly enjoys our participation, the people Jobs wants
to sell this to don’t read our rants. They can’t even understand
them.” And he’s completely right.

The people who are going to fall in love with the iPad aren’t like me
at all. They don’t want to be able to do thirty things at once, play
Bioshock or do any other thing I make sure is standard in my computer
of choice. They want a visually appealing gadget to listen to music,
browse the Internet and write papers. That’s all.

And that’s fine. It’s just not for me.

However, I look forward to the next generation of the iPad. Hopefully
Apple will take all the criticisms and really make the iPad incredible
and appealing to people outside of their current consumer base. I
would love to see flash and a processor stronger than 1GHz. I would
love to be able to take a giant picture, edit it with PS mobile, show
my friends via hook-up to an HDTV, and then save it to a USB drive. So
much is possible. It just needs to be done.