More DSU Moments: Sophomore Year
I promised 100 memorable DSU moments. I have written 18, all from that first magical year of 01-02. When I started thinking about the next batch, I realized that sophomore year was kinda tough to remember. Not a lot of things jumped out at me. But, after some research on the subject, I was able to come up with a handful of stories to add to the list. The first, however, is still from the end of freshman year. It leads up to the second story.

19. Worried About Summer: As the first year of college came to an emotional close, I was more worried about my summer plans. I couldn’t possibly go back to the farm, and Madison didn’t seem like a great option. I asked old friend Andrew Graham about living with him in Sioux Falls for the summer of ’02. I could certainly find a job there and room with him. Unfortunately, Andrew’s place was packed and there was no room for me. As it would turn out, that was a good thing. The next day, old classmate Kyla Madsen got in touch with me and asked about my plans. Turned out that she too was out of ideas, and had heard that Valleyfair was a good place to work. It paid good, they had housing for you, and it was in the Twin Cities, somewhere more entertaining than back home. She said she’d do it if I did, so I applied. I was still very unsure of the idea, though. I had just become comfortable with my DSU friends and didn’t really want to pack up and move somewhere where I knew no one. After I was accepted for a job at Valleyfair, I panicked. I decided not to do it after all. I called home to ask Mom if she could think of anything else that I could do for a few months. She said that if she were me, she’d think it would be fun to go work there for a summer and get away. So, I listened to Mother, and off I went to Minnesota for the summer. How would it go?

20. Depressed to Be Back: I got back from Minnesota two days before college started, and right away I was depressed. Sure, I had a great time at DSU that first year, but I had an even better time working up in the Cities at Valleyfair. It took me about two weeks to finally get back in the swing of things, but even then, I was seriously looking into transferring to the U of M. Every couple weekends I was driving back to Minneapolis to stay with Luke Katuin or Patrick Lynch or Casey Van Heel. There wasn’t even a real reason to go, I just dropped everything and left first thing after classes on Friday and didn’t come back till late Sunday night. One time the only reason I went was to see the Rocky Horror Show on stage. Another time I went with Brandon Hanson and Aaron Quam to the Renaissance Festival. On two separate occasions I went back to see the Twins in the playoffs. One weekend I even went down to Omaha to stay with Liz Burke for the weekend. Anything to get back to those crazy summer days. Eventually, money was running out, and I decided to stick around DSU for once. The guys here weren’t so bad either.

21. The Quick Econ Test: The Twins were in the playoffs for the first time since 1991, and the game started at 3:15 on ESPN. Oh, wait, I also had a test at 3:00 on Microeconomics, and a big one at that. I couldn’t decide whether to ask Janke to take the test at another time or to just speed through the test as best as I could and get back in time for the second or third inning. I studied hard the night before, and went to take the test. Janke talked for a few minutes to start the period, making me very nervous. I kept looking at the clock, praying he’d just hand out the damn tests so I could fail it and get back to see the game. Finally, at 3:05, we got our tests. I zoomed through it like none other. Typically, I am the first one done with any test. But this time, I was done with the five-page (ten, front and back) test before I heard another page turn from anyone else. It was 3:13 or so. I went to hand it in and ran out the door. Janke looked at me like I was insane. So did the rest of the class. I sprinted back to the dorms and into my room. 3:15. Just in time… to see pre-game festivities. The first pitch didn’t take place for another twenty minutes. Nevertheless, I was still feeling unusually confident about my grade. In the end, it was win-win. The Twins came from behind to win 7-5, and I got an 88 on the test.

22. And on to the Dome: Luke Katuin slept outside the Metrodome to buy 16 tickets for every Twins playoff game, and one of them was for me. With the series tied at a game apiece, I knew I’d get to see two playoff games. We arrived bright and early for a Friday day game against Oakland. Patrick, Luke, and I were wearing red and blue face paint, blue hair dye, and the most ridiculous Twins costumes we could find. I made a giant Homer Hanky out of a bed sheet. As we stood outside the Dome before the game, we were spotted by MLB.com, who interviewed us. Inside the Dome, the Associated Press tracked us down and took our picture, which was seen across the nation in newspapers everywhere, and even ESPN.com’s front page! (Sound like a previous story about me and the Twins?) Inside, the place was unbelievable. 55,500 screaming fans were so loud before the game even started that I literally couldn’t hear anything but this piercing squelching sound. Patrick, standing right next to me and screaming in my ear, was not to be heard. In the middle innings, Liz, Luke, Patrick, and I were spotted on ESPN. The Twins dropped that game, and were faced with elimination on Saturday. The A’s jumped out early on a Jermaine Dye homer, but the from then-on, it was all Twins. They scored 11 unanswered runs, and the crowd was even louder than the previous day. With a huge fourth inning, the crowd stood, jumping, screaming, and waving their hankies. It was just deafening. It was the single most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of in my life. If I could go back to any moment, that would without question be it. The Twins won again Sunday in Oakland to take the series and advance to the American League Championship Series.

23. Wrapping It Up: As you can see, in October 2002, the Twins clearly were more important than college, or even my own financial well-being. I skipped more classes and threw down more money to attend Games 1 & 2 of the ALCS against the Anaheim Angels. Along with me this time were DSU friends Chris Ahrendt and the Mueller boys. The Twins took the first game, 2-1, in a great outing by Joe Mays. But the next night, it was all Angels. We went back to South Dakota with the hope we’d be going back to Minneapolis for the final two games, but Anaheim won all three at home and the Twins were done. I cried myself to sleep that night after the Twins blew a 5-3 lead in Game 5 and were eliminated from the playoffs. Back to reality.

24. New Year, Same Roommate: Freshman year with Brandon Hanson was an interesting experiment. I didn’t have many problems with him because he was never in the room. So, we went on to Phase 2 of our roommate relationship. This year was much of the same. We moved into the larger corner room and had a nicer setup. But again, Brandon was typically somewhere other than our room. And when he was there, he was pretty annoying, mostly because of his sleeping habits. I went to bed before him every night that year, no lie. And I woke up before him almost every morning that semester, regardless of the fact that he had a morning class twice a week and I didn’t. The annoying part was that his alarm wouldn’t wake him up. It would blare so loud that people down the hall would wake up. But not Brandon, who slept like a baby inches away from the snooze bar. That didn’t so much as faze him, but if he was sleeping and I’d roll over in bed or something, he’d wake up instantly and let out a bellering whine like a spoiled little girl. “Ehh-EHH-ehh!” Or something to that effect. One day, Brandon decided he needed to get on the ball, and made a chart he would follow to a T in order to succeed at college. He would wake up at 5 every morning and do homework, then work out at the Community Center, before heading to his 9:30 class. He proudly taped the chart to the wall by his bed, set the alarm, and went to bed fairly early. The next day, I woke up for class, and Brandon was of course still in bed, alarm blaring. I went to two classes, ate dinner, went to another class, and came back around 3. Brandon was still in bed with the alarm blaring, ten hours after he was planning on being up… and this was Day One of the “New Brandon Experiment!”

25. Heaven and Hell: That fall of sophomore year, I was signed up to be in the DSU production of “Heaven and Hell on Earth: A Divine Comedy.” It was actually a series of short plays directed by Sue Conover. Chris Ahrendt, who had been in the children’s musical the previous spring and had the worst time of his life, assured me that he would go nowhere near DSU’s theater department for the rest of his life. I hadn’t been cast in that play, so I was fine with showing off my acting prowess for the community for the first time as a collegian. I was in a sketch with Rob Dale that dealt with topics such as him “getting laid” and “having his head stuck up his ass.” I was the cool guy, and Rob was the loser. Just like in real life! Kidding, Rob. The play went off very well, and even naysayer Chris Ahrendt showed up to watch. He admitted it wasn’t half bad. Good enough for me!

26. Life on Fourth Floor: Gone were some of the major names from freshman year, such as Kevin Forshey, Josh Bosch, Sheldon Rahn, Mike Herman, Evan Lee, Eric Solberg, Nalo Cabuyaban, and Chad Vetter. But most of the group was still in tact, and good times were had once again. Newcomers like Cooney, Matt Hanson, Jon Mueller, and Matt Hotchkin picked up the slack. Weekends were spent in much the same way as freshman year. All guys, no girls, same old, same old. Only this time, we were awarded a big screen TV in our lobby for utilizing the lobby area so much the previous year. The floor citizens dubbed the TV “Maggie” due to its manufacturer, Magnavox. Many great times were had in front of that TV. Groups of us would sit out there and hook up the original Nintendo and Power Pad for games of Track and Field. Derrick Geiszler and Rick Mueller even named their Gong-Show-winning band “Have You Seen Maggie?” after the famed television. Life on the floor was great.

27. Circle of Trust: Okay, I have to backtrack a little here. I forgot about the defining moment from freshman year on fourth floor Richardson. The very night Chris Ahrendt moved in from Higbie, a large group gathered in the lobby for some male bonding time. Led by R.A. Joe Casavan, all 40 of us took our turn telling embarrassing female-related stories to the group. Joe named it the “Circle of Trust,” telling all floor residents that we were like family, and could tell each other anything in confidence. Chris, who had been shackled away in Higbie all alone with his roommate from hell, must have been shocked to see what happened in other dorms… not that this was typical of other floors of other dorms on campus. Everyone had some laughs, shed some tears, and definitely bonded that night. The details of the stories told by these friends can never be revealed, however. They are to remain amongst us in… “The Circle of Trust.”

News from DSU
Well, plenty of great stories have occurred in the past, but what is happening these days? Thursday is my exit exam session, meaning I get locked in a room for three hours to write an essay about my portfolio, which I am currently in the process of producing. I can use my electronic portfolio if I like, which I probably will, but my Portfolio class requires the physical version to be completed by Wednesday anyway. As I browse my ten best pieces of work from my years at DSU, I am finding none of my stuff is that great. My biggest accomplishment was either my picture I randomly took of Minneapolis while riding in a van, or this website. The picture has been everywhere from newspapers to magazine ads to websites, and even became a corporate logo somehow. And then there’s the site, which has gained some popularity globally. Other than that, there’s not much to show! In other news, I am still looking for that inevitable job out of college. I have applied for everything from entry-level web designer to Twins public address announcer, and so far the only offer was from a Sioux Falls insurance company, asking me to start their Sales training program. I’m putting in a decent number of hours at AmericInn, although Amanda scoffs at the very mention that I work much. (She works pretty much every day at DQ and, from what I gather, doesn’t much care for it!) There are the big questions still looming, including “Where will I work?” and “Where will I live?” and such. On the Glanzer family front, sister Jordan is about to give birth to her second baby. All I know is that it’s gonna be a girl, and her birthday will be the 11th. I plan on visiting Jordan and family in Vermillion soon after, but I have to work all weekend.

Ryan Goes to the ER
It’s all fun and games until someone falls flat on their face and bleeds. That’s the story from Saturday’s softball tournament here in Madison. (Yes, softball in November… don’t ask me why.) I was asked to be on a team that had all girls but no guys. Along with Feeney, Geiszler, and Craig, I agreed. I pitched and batted fifth. Things weren’t going too well to begin with, but I really made an ass of myself in my second at bat. I have never hit a softball farther in my life, but the wind held it up and it didn’t clear the fence like I’d imagined it would. Instead, my slow home run trot only got me to second. The next batter singled to the outfield, and I was being waved home. Just then, someone yelled for me to stop. I didn’t know what to do, so I held up for a second, then had to hurry to get home. On my way, I lost my balance and fell hard, right in front of the plate. I was able to touch the plate and score, but I was badly skinned up. My stomach area was bleeding badly, and it was filled with dirt. My hands and knees were also skinned up. The crowd laughed hysterically as I limped back to the dugout. I didn’t think much of it at first, but ten hours later I was still bleeding, so Amanda took me down to the hospital. All that was open was the ER, but they were able to patch my “large abrasion,” give me a tetanus shot, and send me on my way. It still hurts pretty bad. I also must have pulled a muscle or something cause I’m still limping around on my right leg. We lost both games and also have to pay $10 for playing. What a day.

Top Ten List | Today’s Topic: Most Painful Moments
This injury I just spoke of may have been painful, but where does it stack up all-time for me? I know of a couple times as a little kid where I burned myself, but don’t really remember how bad the pain was, so I can’t count them.

1. Migraine on bus ride home from Vikings game, 2001.
2. Broke left leg in football practice, 1998.
3. Sprained left ankle in basketball game, 1999.
4. Intentionally grabbed iron, 1992 (?).
5. Slammed right fingers in car door, 1995 (?). 
6. Clotheslined by pipe at recess, 1989 (?).
7. Skinned knees riding bike in Doland, 1992 (?).
8. Recurring back troubles, 1998.
9. Unbearable Mankato hangover at Abraibesh’s, 2002.
10. Hit by baseball bat in arm as catcher, 1994 (?).

On This Date in Ryan Glanzer History
Just because I’ve actually kept detailed track, I may as well make use of it. On November 8, 2003, brother Alex brought my car back to Madison after I wrecked it on my way to a Twins/Yankees playoff game. In 2004, I ate at Nicky’s with Jason and Chris, then went to the bar for Brian Moline’s 21st birthday. Ahh, November 8th memories.

Well that’s all for this Monday night.

Ryan