Everybody has a different appetite.Some people eat like birds, others like lions. Some eat two meals a day, others eat five. Some only settle for greens, others want straight meat and potatoes.But despite...

"Guten Tag" was the phrase of the day here Saturday as more than 100 high school students studying German poured onto the TCU campus.Dallas/Fort Worth area high school students spent the day with about 40 TCU German minors, who served as hosts, speaking only German and learning all about the culture at "Deutscher Samstag" or "German Saturday," said Jeffrey Todd, associate professor of German.

If for some odd reason you have ever walked by the University Recreation Center at 5 a.m. and wondered who would actually be in the weight room that early, the answer is simple: the TCU swimming and diving team.Even in the offseason, the team dedicates itself to early morning practices to go along with some afternoon training sessions in order to better itself for the next season, head coach Richard Sybesma said.

"We have to make a commitment to the offseason to start with a stronger team in the season," Sybesma said. "Offseason commitment equals in-season success."

I've been writing sports for a pretty long time now, or at least as much as my age allows. I've done all sorts of teams with infinitely varied types of leaders that enjoy countless degrees of success. Not to sound jaded, but I've pretty much heard it all before.So when TCU's head baseball coach, Jim Scholssnagle, told me on Feb. 28 that "we have a team full of good players that's not a very good baseball team right now," I have to admit that I was skeptical. You know how many times I've heard that?

Professors might want to take note that students may get restless in the classroom now that springtime is in the air.Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that spending time indoors when the weather outside is pleasant can decrease mood and susceptibility to new information and creative thoughts.

According to the University of Michigan Web site, people experience their best moods when they spend at least 30 minutes a day outdoors in warm, sunny weather. Peak moods occur in Texas when it is 86 degrees, the research found.

Although alcoholic beverages will not be served, the student body will get a free taste of "Everclear" as Texas-country singer Roger Creager performs after the baseball game Sunday against Air Force.Creager, who is known for his laid-back music, puts a distinctive twist on traditional country as demonstrated in some of his most popular songs such as "The Everclear Song," "I Got the Guns" and "Love."

More than 200 students will venture out to community centers and YMCAs Saturday to volunteer as part of TCU LEAPS spring 2006, a campuswide day of community service.Students will perform various tasks including sorting clothes, painting, landscaping and interacting with children.

TCU has held LEAPS in the fall since 2000, but LEAPS was canceled last fall because of the threat of Hurricane Rita entering the area.

Once upon a time in the 1950s and 1960s, the western film ruled the silver screen.The best westerns of all time were released in the these two decades, each decade having its own distinct style. The 1950s were characterized by the good-versus-bad, noble John Wayne films. The 1960s westerns were defined by the more violent, less-polarized "spaghetti westerns," known as such because they were written, directed and produced by Italians.

Starting in the early 1970s, however, the production of western films dropped consistently until stopping almost completely in the mid-1980s.

When senior finance and accounting major Dan Lienemann first came to TCU, he started his freshman year like many other new students - stocking up on textbooks required for his classes. The total was around $450. Since then, Lienemann, an international finance and accounting major, has used what he has learned in financial management classes - to get more for less. He no longer goes to the TCU bookstore for his books.Lienemann has discovered that just by a click of the mouse, he can save $100 to $300 a semester on his books.