Hello World

It was 2003. In an air-conditioned classroom at Hill Country Christian School of Austin in Austin, Texas, I was first introduced to a seemingly mundane concept. As it became a serious fad several years later, I did not make much of an effort to interact with the idea; fads have always made me uncomfortable. But sometimes fads become more than fads, sometimes an idea that appears to be only passing through town becomes a permanent resident. This "fad" I was introduced to, through an in-class newspaper reading assignment, was the concept of the blog, and as we have come to find out, it is certainly here to stay.

I love context. I begin this first post of The Pinstripes by explaining my brief history with blogging for this reason. For me, understanding why something happened and how it was perceived at the time is extremely vital to any attempt at intelligent thought. One cannot read through the Iliad of Homer without any knowledge of Greek tradition and culture and expect to fully understand what the author intended. Similarly, I feel that readers will receive the best experience when they understand some author background. Indeed, my background will influence and affect all of the posts you read on this blog.

My name is Matthew Norman. I come from Houston, Texas, though I currently reside in La Mirada, California at Biola University. I am a freshman Political Science major in the Torrey Honors Institute, and a proud member of the great Vanauken cohort group. I have a sister back home as well as year-old Maltese who never stops barking. I have never blogged before, and my experience with writing is mostly through school papers and some newspaper articles through the Civil Air Patrol. Obviously, my background consists of much more than I just described, but I figure that I've said all that needs to be said right now. The more important topic is the matter of what this blog will be about.

Simply put, this blog is about manners. Before you click the "back" button on your browser and return to Tumblr, allow me to explain the subject further. As a southerner, I am quite accustomed to individual politeness. My parents taught me to call adults "sir" and "ma'am", to make eye contact when speaking to someone, and to always hold the door for others. My father especially focused on the proper way for a man to treat a lady, and I have greatly benefited from this. Many individuals perhaps were not taught in this manner; some of the things I have been taught are culturally specific to the south. But one thing I have noticed is that people seem to appreciate the "southern hospitality" that my parents' lessons have instilled in me. I am in no way perfect, and any ability to be polite and display good manners I have I credit to my parents alone. However, I do feel that perhaps I can help raise awareness of ways we can be more civilized so that we can all enjoy each other's company in the best way possible.

Being from Texas, my only experience with California has been very short trips to the state, where I mostly interacted as a tourist. I really had no expectation for the Los Angeles area, except what I had always been told, that I should not expect the same type of friendliness I can expect in Texas. It was an incredibly pleasant surprise for me to discover that the people at Biola were as friendly as I could ask for. Everywhere I walk on campus, I can always find someone to talk to and a new person to meet. During the first week of classes, I recall sitting down and eating with someone in the Cafe whom I had just met, and we had a very pleasant conversation that showed genuine interest in getting to know the other person. I see such interactions occurring every day at Biola, and it is very encouraging. It seems that what I had been told coming to California was in fact based on inaccurate information, and I have never been happier to be misinformed.

My hope for this blog is that I can point out small courtesies that will help everyone be a better gentleman or lady, both at Biola and everywhere else. I would like to elaborate on small ideas such as greeting people as you pass them and why we should dress nicely for church, and to discuss their importance in an attempt to convince you to adopt such practices. I would especially appreciate feedback; tell me what you despise about my writing and ideas. Give me some suggestions for new topics or improvement to my methods. I need it!

The key to internet writing is conciseness, and I have obviously failed that. Most of my posts will be much, much shorter, but I thought that a greater length was acceptable here. I will try to post at least once a week. Thank you so much for reading. I hope to be able to entertain and engage with you soon! Have a good day.