It happens at the end of every semester: Students wait impatiently in front of a computer, constantly refreshing my.tcu.edu's academic home page to see if final grades have been posted. Inevitably, someone will be dissatisfied with his or her grade. Disgruntled students can present their cases to the Academic Appeals Committee about discrepancies concerning a specific grade. Currently, a student has until the drop date of the next semester to appeal a grade, but a proposed appeals process would limit the time frame to appeal a grade to 10 days.

One iPod speaker, one Vera Bradley handbag, two candles, one Juicy tube of Lancome lip gloss and one Ralph Lauren Polo shirt - a bill at a department store or boutique? Nope, the receipt at the TCU Bookstore.Let's be honest: We've all been guilty at some point during our time at TCU of charging items at the bookstore and sending the bill home to Mom and Dad.

But the bookstore is just so tempting that sometimes you go in there and don't even intend to spend any money at all.

The men's and women's tennis teams concluded their fall seasons Monday, but a women's doubles team will soon play in the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships.Senior Ana Cetnik and sophomore Anna Sydorska won the doubles championship in 2006 at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Association Southwest Regional Championships at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, where they had been seeded No. 2.

What is it with this eerie "Nightmare Before Christmas" mix of Halloween and Christmas? Halloween is just around the corner; we have one month until Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations have already taken over local superstores.

There is something gravely wrong about seasonal commercialism these days. To us, Halloween commonly means candy and costumes. Thanksgiving means eating, napping and spending time with family. Christmas means trees, caroling, opening presents and spending time with family.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go - and that's a problem.It is still October, and Halloween is right around the corner. But at almost every retail store you visit, there is nothing but Christmas promotions.

Call me Ebenezer Scrooge, but bah, humbug on early Christmas promotions.

When I pulled up to Garden Ridge this past weekend, propped up right in front of the entrance was a gargantuan snow globe with everybody's favorite fat man inside giving yuletide greetings.

Students, faculty and staff examined how diversity is portrayed in the media and how diversity issues affect TCU's campus at the 2006 Inclusiveness Conference on Wednesday.Greg Trevino, director for Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, said the conference is designed to introduce different issues on diversity.

"The Internet, television and movies all show different aspects of diversity," Trevino said. "This conference is one of the many ways we try to implement diversity for the campus as a whole."

The Frogs' defense has been showing new life after their win against Army on Saturday, said head coach Gary Patterson at the Coaches' Luncheon Tuesday.Patterson and senior offensive tackle Herb Taylor discussed Saturday's game as well as the upcoming Mountain West Conference match-up against the Wyoming Cowboys.

"The teams that run the ball the best are the teams that score the best in the red zone," Patterson said. "I think that gave a sense of urgency in our line."

With six remaining conference matches in the season, the volleyball team preserved its .500 Mountain West Conference record after one of its best performances of the year, said head coach Prentice Lewis.The weekend home contests with the Colorado State Rams and the Air Force Falcons left the Horned Frogs with a split in the standings.

Friday night featured a hard-luck loss to the Rams after the team dropped a one-game lead en route to a 3-1 loss in the match.

Platinum-selling country singer Dierks Bentley is covering a lot of ground in his ol' cowboy boots, but the singer looks to hang them up on his third record, "Long Trip Alone."Known for catchy tunes such as "What Was I Thinkin'" off his self-titled debut album and "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" from his sophomore effort "Modern Day Drifter," Bentley follows in the footsteps of his partying forefathers Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr.

But could this Arizona rebel be settling down just a bit?

A 100-foot-high moving stage, pyrotechnics, fireworks and a giant inflatable tongue could not overshadow The Rolling Stones at their mega-concert Sunday night in Austin.The Stones seemed on a mission to rock out the entire city as they opened with a deafening "You've Got Me Rockin,'" which could be heard miles away from Zilker Park.

And if you were looking for the Stones to play your favorite song in their "A Bigger Bang" tour promoting their 2005 CD of the same name, they probably did.

Two years ago, Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now, "Flags of our Fathers," Eastwood's latest film, seems to be his attempt at a second Oscar in three years."Fathers" tells the story of the three surviving men who hoisted the flag flown over Iwo Jima in World War II, immortalized in the statue outside the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.