It's hilarious that A&M's main goal is hating Texas, even when they're not playing Texas.

Sophomore year of college, I was in a long-distance relationship with a crazy Aggie who went to every football game and every Midnight Yell. When the OU/A&M game rolled around, I planned to go to Kyle Field to see the game with him, and we went to my first Midnight Yell. I had no idea what was going on, knew none of the yells, and I'm pretty sure I thought said boyfriend was insane.

Last night we went to my second Midnight Yell, the first since I've moved here. Matt hadn't been to one in awhile, since it's less convenient now that he doesn't live on campus. We thought we weren't going to be able to get good parking, since we left later than we wanted to (we were watching Dracula, the one where Keanu Reeves pretends he can act. Weird movie). But we got to park right next to the field, luckily, because it was cold outside. (Cold for Texas, that is.) We sat next to a guy who was wearing A&M pajamas and who asked why I didn't know any of the yells even though I was wearing an A&M sweatshirt (not mine ... not giving in yet). "We" sang about hating Texas. We swayed back and forth in a metaphorical "sawing 'em off" (I had just assumed that they liked swaying dramatically while singing, but now I figured out they were supposed to be a giant human saw). "We" yelled "Whoop" a lot. We listened to Yell Leaders make fun of Mike Gundy (okay, I'll whoop for that!). Matt forgot one of the yells, so I teased him and said that even I knew it (no I didn't), and then it just turned out to be them saying "Rah!" a whole bunch of times, so I probably could've figured that one out had I remembered any of the hand gestures. I can get behind them wanting to beat the hell out of OK State, because as a Sooner fan I'm supposed to hate them too.

And then when it was all over, the lights went out and I got my kiss. :)

My honor student can beat up your honor student.

In the two months I've been here, I have seen quite a few bumper stickers that read the following:

HOWDY
DAMN IT!

And oooh, this totally plays into my geeky punctuation fetish. I presume that it is intended to be read, "Howdy, damn it!" as in, "You say 'Howdy' or else." However, because there is no punctuation indicating it as such, I prefer to think of all the Aggies' bumpers declaring, "Howdy! ... (damn it)," as in "I can't stop saying freaking 'Howdy!' and it's driving me insane."

Life09

The IAO Gallery in Oklahoma City is hosting Life09, a one-night art show to help raise funds for the Maisha Arts and Cultural Camp in Kenya. There will be a silent auction for works produced by local artists, as well as Kenyan musicians. The goal is to raise money through social activism rather than asking people for money.

Attendees can not only help provide backpacks and art kits for campers through donations, but can also get involved in the art show personally through a community art piece.

The Maisha Orphanage was founded in 2006 by Beatrice Williamson, a native Kenyan. Her mother taught kids in Kenya and had an 8-year-old girl in her class. The girl stopped showing up for class when her parents both died of HIV, so she was taking care of her siblings and living with their uncle, who was also HIV-positive. Williamson's mother offered her home as a place where the kids could receive food and have a safe place to do their homework. As time went on, the kids brought more and more children with them, until she had 80-some-odd children outside her home every day.

Multidisciplinary studies senior Kendall Brown got involved with the Maisha Orphanage project randomly — through Facebook. "It's a total mark of our generation — I went across the sea because of Facebook," she said of her trip to Africa. When the village was affected by heavy violence, Brown talked to Williamson about creating a camp for the children, and ultimately founded the Maisha Arts and Cultural Camp. "I thought I wanted to be a photographer. Turns out, I want to be an art therapist," Brown said. She said she has always been passionate about the arts, especially in education and "how it helps kids deal with pain and tragedy that they otherwise wouldn't be able to handle."

Life09 will take place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2 at the IAO Gallery. The gallery is located at 811 N. Broadway in Oklahoma City. Pre-register at www.NightofArtandMusic.com; as space will be limited, there will be a guest list at the door. The event is free, but the suggested donation is $10 at the door.