The House Of Heat

Hayden Butte, in all it's glory.

"A" Mountain, or Hayden Butte if you're all accurate and shit, is the natural landmark at the North end of ASU's campus. This article in the AZ Republic gives a brief history of the rock and the letters that have been emblazoned on its face, which have included "N," "T," and the solid concrete "A" that sits there today.

Reading the article brought back a swath of memories from my undergrad days in Tempe, including my second day on campus. I had read somewhere in the grandiose pile of freshman literature that it was a tradition to whitewash the "A" as a freshman, so I trekked up the face of that large hill in 110+ degree weather and slopped on a coat with the Student Alumni Association, which I soon joined. The lure of the organization was that their mission statement included the promotion of traditions, and what better way for an East Coast exile to learn about his new school? It didn't take long to realize that ASU didn't really have many traditions, but that's neither here nor there. My duties mostly included repainting the "A" gold after someone else vandalized it, which worked out to about once a week.

The few traditions in which I participated, including Lantern Walk, were actually pretty cool; the Butte looks surreal when several thousand feet of white Christmas lights are strapped to it's face and fireworks are going off overhead. However ASU's greatest traditions- drinking and girls- were a regular staple in the 85281 during my tenure. The point is this- Take part in tradition you undergrads, even if that means starting new ones. These are the stupid little things that will connect you with your alma mater in the future, whatever it may be. Besides, it's stories like these that keep your kids from bugging you.



One last thing- we need to come up with a nickname for Sun Devil Linebacker Morris Wooten. I'll suck a cock on the Golden Gate Bridge before I endure another two years of an ASU player with the nickname "Cat,"*** so don't even bother with the "9 Lives" routine. Try using an idea along the lines of "Woo-tang," or God forbid something original. Leave comments beow.

***- No offense to Zach Catanese, who is a total badass.

Labels: anecdotal evidence, ASU alumni, the offseason sucks