Frosh Fun

Our son Kyle is having a blast in college; he's taking advantage of everything it has to offer.  This post is proof:

He's rushing a *fraternity. Don't worry-He assures me that it's not "that kind" of fraternity; they are the only fraternity on campus and are all about community service. Riiiiigght. Whatever. He's having fun and has been forced (as a pledge) to do all sorts of ridiculous things, such as wearing a pink shirt for two weeks, cleaning fraternity members' dorm rooms, and putting Martha Stewart's photo up for his Facebook profile photo (which in my book beats feats of drinking-til-you-puke-and-pass-out, hands down.)

Mostly recently, I received a text from my niece Mandy, who asked, "Are you at Mr. Phoenix**?" and of course, I replied "no," since I didn't even know what "Mr. Phoenix" was.  Turns out Kyle was at that very moment on stage, at his college, competing to be Mr. Phoenix!  I still didn't know what it was, but I got the gist of it the next day, when I called Mandy.

In order to compete, Kyle had to do three things:

1) Lead the crowd (of hundreds) in a school cheer (He rocked this.)
2) Answer a question (If you had a million dollars, how would you use it to help your school?) in formal dress. (No, Lisleman, not "in A formal dress." There. I beat you to it!haha)
3) Perform a talent.

Now, Kyle can sing, so at first, I was like, "Wow! Kyle sang?!  I haven't heard him sing since that time I videotaped him singing The Star Spangled Banner in the shower.  Dang it! I missed it.  However, as he explained the next day, he had only found out the day before (from his fraternity peeps) that he would be competing. He had to come up with something in a hurry, so here's what he did...

With the theme from Rocky playing in the background, Kyle walked up, whipped his shirt and pants off, put on his swim goggles, cut the music, and proceeded to tell the dramatic tale of how he once jumped the gun in an important swim meet.  Here's a glimpse of what it looked like:

That kid definitely takes after his dad; totally cool and collected up there, wearing nothing but a Speedo jammer swimsuit and a pair of goggles. (The crowd went wild, apparently.)

Kyle didn't even bother to tell us about the competition until it was over, and guess what?

He was 1st runner up!

What I love about Kyle is that he takes advantage of every opportunity available to him. He's taking classes, working part-time, is VP of his Dorm Council, is rushing the fraternity, has a girlfriend, and has big plans to study in Spain next year. What this kid won't accomplish in his life is beyond me.

Unfortunately, his grades are also beyond me; I don't have a clue what they are.

Fortunately, I figure a kid with this much ambition has got the grades under control, too.

Right? Right?!  tap-tap-tap  Is this thing on??


*Never ever refer to a Fraternity as a Frat. The term "frat" holds negative connotations, and most fraternities are extremely offended. Some individuals may not care, so be sure to get to know the person you are talking to first. But in general, the term "frat" is taboo, so just play it safe.
 **Not to be confused with Mr. Phoenix Leather Competition (trust me-you don't even want to google that.)