Seriously… my big gripe with Tumblr is the lack of commenting. Well, you can have add-ons like Disqus, but they don’t work very well. The only way to talk about someone else’s post is to re-post it and write a little more under the quote? That’s the same reason I hate long e-mail threads in traditional e-mail! (And one reason why I love GMail.)

Anyway, I’m pretty happy with this theme, but I might be playing around with it a little more. I’m also cleaning up plug-ins in the background to change the speed and functionality of the site. For one thing, I’ve switched my RSS feeds to Feedburner.

As always, let me know if something doesn’t work the way you think it should, either by commenting on this post or shooting me a message if the site is down. (Sorry to anyone who tried to access it between 12 and 8 this morning.)

It’s weird, because I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. I’m never the one in my group of friends who plans things. But now, I can’t plan. My life is in a holding pattern for the next half-year. I can’t really change jobs or move or anything, because I might have to change jobs and move again in months. So I’m stuck in a low-paying, unfulfilling job in a boring town. At least I have APhiO to keep my extracurriculars up.

But anyway, my birthday is coming up in a couple of months. Since it’s my three-to-the-third birthday, I want to knock at least three items off my bucket list, but that requires planning. I figure I should start things off in a big way… like skydiving! I looked it up, though, and the place in Davis offers jumps at around $200 for tandem (having a pro strapped to your back) or $350 for a solo jump. Who wants to join me? Let me know, because it will be legendary!

(If there’s no interest, I guess I can settle for one of the other bucket list items.)

A recurring issue that our chapter faces is active retention or member turnover. We are lucky that our chapter is so large and that it is able to accommodate large pledge classes, but we could be much bigger and better if we were able to hold on to more brothers.

When I’ve talked to rushees who did not choose to pledge, pledges who chose to DP, or brothers who have drifted away from the chapter, the most common reason for leaving is something along the lines of “I don’t feel like I belong.” Sometimes older actives are left behind after their friends have graduated and moved away. Sometimes, pledges never quite bond with their pledge brothers. Whichever the case, the end result is the same – when you feel like an outsider among a group of 200+ people, it can be incredibly intimidating. It’s understandable that you would consider leaving.

What I cannot understand is how the situation is able to get to such a low point. Our chapter has a lot of safety nets built in to prevent anyone from falling through the cracks. You are never alone in Iota Phi. You have pledge brothers, sponsors, sponsorees, trainers, pledge group-mates, big brothers, little brothers, ExComm, PlexComm, and advisers. Everyone in Iota Phi is connected and we are all here to help you succeed in Alpha Phi Omega and outside of it. If you feel as if you are drifting away from the chapter, I’m sure that if you took a closer look, you’ll realize that you have a lot more support than you thought.

And to everyone else in the chapter, keep an eye out for those near you who could be starting to drift away. If you notice that one of your brothers is not coming out to events as much, invite him or her to join you at a fellowship or service project. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to someone you don’t usually talk when you’re both at a fellowship. Try partnering up with someone new at a service project. Good mug someone for something that you don’t think anyone else noticed. You never know… that random act could make the difference between a future President leaving and coming back. Besides helping yourself by meeting a best friend, you could be helping the chapter grow stronger.

In short, be a leader, be a friend, and be of service.

Yours in LFS,
Dinh Luong

@KitKATChan You should have seen what I did to Tommy Le during Tran class. in reply to KitKATChan #

@doodlydoo Lower the curve. in reply to doodlydoo #

I want. http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/030210/worlds-worst-boardgame.gif http://ff.im/-gTK52 #

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I'm already forgetting names. http://ff.im/-gpeae #

@quachified @pegsie You guys should try chik'n nuggets. in reply to quachified #

Initiation time – welcome to my pledge term, bi — I mean, namesakees! #

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