Colin Stein- Feature Story
(Out of the different news stories I’ve written, this one is my favorite)
He’ll make fun of you and bad horror films, and he’s not afraid to diss on your favorite screamo band. When he is not working at the Norman Transcripts, you can find 20-year-old Colin Stein at home shreddin’ licks on Rock Band or entertaining his friends at Taco Bell. You can also find him putting on girls’ dresses, rolling around on his Heely’s or his Ripstick, or going to California to have a meet up with his internet friends- you know, all the typical 20-year-old stuff.
On the surface, he may seem like everybody else, but Colin doesn’t walk the beaten track. His character is untouchable. He is a one-of-a-kind entertainer and talent.
Colin works at the Norman Transcript as a graphic designer. He has a high school education, but doesn’t plan on attending college. He is equipped with an “I don’t care” attitude that propels him to be the center of attention. He is very popular among his peers and has a personality that can make or break the fun. He’ll always leave you wanting more. His jokes can latch onto you like a tick, but they can just as easily be brushed off, and he has enough self-confidence to overjoy a community of depressed people.
“Colin is the kind of friend that no matter how long you go without seeing him, it’s always comfortable to hang out with him,” said Colin’s friend Tevin Garner, “He’s a lot of fun but can totally be a jerk when he wants to be.”
Colin is notorious for his fun personality, honesty and sarcasm. He gets tickled pink when people want to argue with him, especially when addressing such controversial topics as school, religion and music. He comes off as offensive but is still well-received.
“I think people like what they think they hate about me,” Colin said with a smirk as he laid back in his chair. ” I won’t bullshit them. If something is stupid, I usually tell them it’s stupid. Then, they get all pissy and mad at me for that week, then when they realize it is stupid, they always come back with a, ‘Yeah Colin, you’re right.’ Happens the same way with everything!”
Colin moved to Norman a year-and-a-half ago from Edmond to work at the Norman Transcript. In January, he was named employee of the month. However, despite his success at the Norman Transcript, Colin craves something more creative and stimulating.
“When I wake up, I’m not happy,” Colin said, “I have to go to a job that is meaningless. I come home to be alone just to hang out online all night. It’s not fun. I don’t like it. I don’t want to be working nine to five Monday through Friday my whole life. I want a reason to not go to bed besides the whole having to do the same shit every day thing.”
Colin doesn’t know many people in Norman since he doesn’t attend school, and he doesn’t try to socialize through partying. He said he has never seen the appeal in it.
“Partying is uncreative and overrated,” Colin said.
He spends a lot of his time at home perfecting his craft by working with Adobe programs, and nights are usually spent confined to his room talking to his internet friends on the computer about bands and other interests.
“I get excited for movies, new music, some video games and internet friends,” Colin said. “Yeah, internet friends are real friends too! Who’s to say that you have to live in the same state or meet them to be friends? I can tell you my internet friends probably know me better than any of my real life friends do.”
This past February, Colin even flew to California to meet with his internet friends. For a week, they hung out and saw their favorite band play three different shows. His Oklahoma friends thought it was somewhat strange, but Colin loved the experience.
“I thrive on people telling me what I can’t do,” Colin said with a big grin. “I miss that about high school. They told me I couldn’t do something. They told me I had to do this to do that. I thrive on dumb people and, luckily, there are a lot of them.”
Although Colin may seem a bit harsh, his personality’s decent blend of sarcastic humor and good-nature shouldn’t go unnoticed. His words may produce a fierce bite, but Colin never fails to keep things interesting.
“He has this air that whatever he talks about is awesome,” Colin’s friend Joe McConniel said. “He could get you excited over a potted plant. Colin called me in the middle of an English midterm to come make ‘sloppy joes’ with him. I promptly left my English class with half of the test not done because Colin made the sloppy joes sound so incredibly awesome.”
So, what make Colin, Colin? Is it sloppy joes? Maybe its how his voice gets high and screechy when he expresses excitement. Is it the way he bites his lip while he plays air guitar? Maybe it’s his physical appearance- his skinny body, dark hair and “emo” haircut. Is it because he doesn’t drink or do drugs? Or, maybe it’s because he likes to throw people off or show disinterest in something by answering questions with “seven” or “drugs.”
For instance, you could ask Colin a question of disinterest, such as what his views on the environment are, and he may simply reply with “drugs.” It may sound ridiculous but don’t doubt it’s effectiveness in ending the conversation.
Colin plans on moving back to Edmond this summer and is considering working a graphic design job where he would design graphics for a local news station. On his own time, he is working on three t-shirt designs for his favorite band, Zebrahead.
“I’m developing my skills for whatever comes next,” Colin said. “I want to work on something I’d be proud of, something big and epic. I don’t care about the money, well I do, I have to live don’t I? I just want… happiness.”
Let’s Be Fair ( from the Sooner Vote Elections blog)
Let’s stop dwelling at the obvious: Obama is black, McCain is white, and Palin is a decent looking female. We need to focus on the issues. People shouldn’t lean for McCain because he’s white, just like people shouldn’t lean for Obama because he’s black. Nor should they support Palin simply because she is a woman.
Do physical factors, such as a person’s skin color, provide the answer to issues like the energy crisis? No, the person does. To learn more about where the candidates stand, check out these links (the bottom right corner of the page lists the issues, you can also check out other basic info on the candidates too)…
See what Obama is all about…
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/barack.obama.html
Find out what makes McCain’s mind tick…
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/john.mccain.html
The best thing voters can do right now is educate themselves. Attacking others won’t get us anywhere. Cover the issues and consider the factors (like the potential eight years your choice can be in office). Being informed doesn’t only help America, it helps YOU too.
Finally, I would like to wrap this up with a video I enjoy. I’m not posting this to favor one candidate over the other. I’m posting this because I think Campbell Brown does a fine job in providing a simple message that everyone can learn from. So listen and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LXMMmfd1lw
Kelly Marose is a junior from the OKC area.
A Chain Reaction (Soonervote blog, post election day follow up)
There was a domino effect going around after Barack Obama was announced our new president. I woke up yesterday morning to see many of my Facebook friends had changed their statuses. Many complained of the Electoral College’s new choice. I noted some of my peers saying things like, “Now it’s going to be the death of our nation.” One of my friends claimed to be “disgusted.” There was a lot of positive feedback too, but of course the negative ones stood out more.
It upset me to see that some people actually think Obama could be the “death” of our great nation or the “end” of the world. I mean, a lot of people share similar dissatisfied feelings regarding President Bush. Yet we had him in office for eight years, and we still stand united. I really don’t think our nation is going to come crumbling down now that Obama’s got the job.
Another thing: I am still seeing blogs comments saying that Obama is a Muslim and a terrorist. What are people thinking? Were people still this confused when they voted? And once again, why is “Muslim” now being so often used as a derogatory term? Please check out the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LXMMmfd1lw
I even saw a blog comment that characterized our new president as “Obama Bin Laden.” That wasn’t a typo either. This person actually thought Osama bin Laden was named “Obama.” People really need to get their facts straight.
With either presidential candidate, I don’t think we’d be seeing anything similar to the “end of the world.” I hope people get adjusted and can look at the positives of this outcome. As has been said many times before, we’re really making history. I think in the end, people will be pleasantly surprised.
Kelly Marose is a junior from the Oklahoma City area.
