I’m back. A short intro about who I am, what I write about and other comments. Good to be back. Read more →

Now that soccer has come to an end, I’m happy to announce my return to writing for the Mount Union Blog. I’d like to take a second to thank my bosses for letting me take that time off – it really made it easier to focus with less things to worry about.

Now back to writing. For new readers, this post will serve as a little introduction to myself, as well as what I like to write about.

My name is Kyle Dreger. I am a third-year computer science and English writing student. I play soccer in the fall, and write for this blog in the winter and spring. I have an app on the App Store, and I love designing websites. I also have a personal website at kyledreger.com and a small blog called dregers on Tumblr as well. If you browse either of those sites, you can get a pretty good feel for who I am, what I do and the topics I enjoy writing on.

I believe writing for a particular type of reader can be beneficial to your writing. With that in mind, here is an excerpt from my colophon over on dregers:

I write, and post links, here for a certain type of reader. This reader will probably enjoy some, or all, of the following:

• design
• technology
• liberal arts
• quality gear
• programming

More specifically to this blog, I’ll be writing on the intersection of technology and our daily school lives – including apps, tips and hacks you can use to improve your education. I’ve got some great stuff lined up for you.

It’s good to be back.

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High school to some people seemed easy. You could be dedicated to so many groups and organizations and it wouldn’t be too much of a burden. If anything, it really kept you motivated and it was usually fun. I was in the band and I played multiple sports, so I was always busy with something. I even auditioned for the musical my senior year and got a back up part … but then I realized that High School Musical is only a movie, and I couldn’t play a sport and be in a musical at the same time.

What I am getting at is that sometimes you are unable to do something you once loved. Athletic training is my major, which means that is my first priority. This alone takes up a great deal of time, which means I have to let go of a few things I love. Playing trombone in the band was tons of fun, but it is something I can’t commit to right now. I’ve played soccer since I was able to run and now I can’t do it anymore simply because I don’t have the time.

I’m not the only one in this position. I have friends from other schools that are unable to play a sport because their bodies are just unable to take the demands of the sport, they didn’t make the team, or their majors just take up all of their free time. Some others aren’t able to be in Student Senate like they once were or they might just not have the heart for that activity they once had.

If you can’t do an activity you once loved, get involved in another. I don’t play multiple sports like I once did and I don’t play for a few hundred people at a halftime show, but I am doing things I never thought I’d even think I would once do. I have two jobs, one as a student ambassador and the other as a student blogger. This is something I never thought I would do, but I am so glad I am doing it.

You need to occupy all the free time you have because the more free time you tend to have, the more time you slack off (usually). The more activities or events you may have going on, the more organized your time will become, and this will help you from feeling useless and sorry for yourself, since you can’t do what you once did.

I still do miss playing trombone with a whole band and I miss playing soccer with friends I have grown up with, but college is the time to open up to new experiences. You have to let go of what you once had and find a new niche that is hidden inside of you somewhere. Everyone is different, so find whatever you know will suit you best.

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Dear Readers,

Technology is getting better and better when it comes to communicating with people. Sometimes I get bored with technology though. Everything is so convenient that if you don’t get a call, text or Facebook notification all day, you feel unloved or unpopular. Lately I have been writing to a friend, with paper and pen. I am going back to a time without Internet and telephones, but I am not going as far back as to delivering the mail on a horse.

I used to check my mailbox every day hoping for any pointless random mail. I like the feeling of expecting something being in my mailbox like it is Christmas morning, but usually there is nothing there. I have recently started writing letters to my friend, Anna, and I have finally begun to get mail. I still check my mail every day although I know that I mailed her a letter the day before and I really doubt she even got it and wrote one back within a day.

I easily have the convenience of calling, e-mailing, texting and even video chatting her, but I don’t. I like the anticipation of getting a letter. Sometimes I am just having a rough day. Getting a letter takes me away for a moment and I feel as if I am in my own world while reading it. When you read a letter, it is more than just paper and ink. You have to imagine that the person that wrote it, is right there in front of you and he or she is reading the letter for you. It’s nice to just zone out of the real world for a moment and just focus on something so simple.

Letters are much more personal. You are able to say whatever you feel like saying and you know that the other person is going to take the time to read it. It means a lot when someone takes the time to read something you’ve written for them and then write back another two or three pages just for you. Writing is a lot different from having a conversation every day, simply because you have time to think about what you want to say. When you read a letter, you have more time to just think about everything that was written.

So how long will I keep this going? I am not sure, but I do know that I am not even slowing down. I’ve started getting more and more of my friends school mailbox addresses. Most of my friends go to colleges that are simply too far to visit on a weekend, so writing a letter is an alternative to keeping in touch. Letters are a great way to stay in contact with your close friends and it is an excuse to buy awesome postage stamps.

Sincerely,

Tyler J.

P.S. I don’t know what P.S. stands for, but I use it anyways.