The Man Of Glass

I have a potty mouth.

My mouth is dirty. Foul. Obscene. Just about any adjective you can find to describe someone who curses a lot fits the description of how I talk. It hasn’t always been this way, but over the past year or so it has become downright ridiculous. I cuss relentlessly, even in texts. It has lost its juvenile humor, and has become a problem. Not only do people find it disgusting and rather rude, I personally feel it is cheap lazy and makes me sound uneducated. It has also begun to get me in trouble as I find myself cussing up a storm in places and situations where it isn’t considered socially acceptable. Starting today I am going to work on this, I hate that I talk this way and want to change it. Even if it comes to me having to shove soap in my mouth I will break this nasty and filthy (literally) habit of mine.

This cursor keeps blinking at me. I think it wants me to write something.

Every now and again people must reinvent themselves. It’s not who we were that matters, but who we become.

col-lege -noun:

1: To many, a form of approval for you to go out and get the job, and life you want.

2: To even more, a never ending party full of keg stands, drug and alcohol benders and skipping as many classes as humanly possible.

3: For a select few, a way of figuring out and enriching who you are as a person and expanding your view of the world you live in.

I know I have not really been writing as often as I need to but once this quarter is over I am hitting the word documents hard. Hopefully I will have a new short story posted soon.

Laughing at OSU

I will be the first to admit, I am not a Buckeye fan. Even growing up here in Columbus, Ohio I have never liked the Buckeyes. One could even go so far as to say I am a Buckeye “hater” but hey, at least I can admit it. I’m not a Michigan fan either, I grew up a Miami Hurricane fan, so that probably plays a role in my hatred for the Buckeyes ( I have also recently become quite an Oregon Ducks fan and before you call me a band wagoner you should know I was accepted to the University and was transferring so showing allegiance to my school is not being a band wagoner). I’m the son of a hardcore Illinois fan so again, another reason for Buckeye “hatred”.

When it came out in December that Terrelle Pryor and others on the Buckeye team had accepted improper benefits I found it hilarious that the university decided to suspend them for the first five games of the 2011 season, but let them play in the bowl game (which they won). Then when it came out that Tressel knew of these infractions months earlier it made the way the situation was handled all that more laughable. Even OSU fans have to admit that their season and BCS bowl win against Arkansas would not have happened had the players infractions been made public earlier. The players would have been suspended immediately and the team would have probably lost 2 or 3 more games. When it came out that as many as 22 players have accepted improper benefits last week in an SI article it made the season that much more of a joke.
 

Read More

(Source: ESPN)

My random life.

I was just sitting here thinking back on things and realized something, I have lived one random life. I once broke my nose with a bowling ball. Moved to Ohio when I was young. I have battled a deadly infection as an infant that left me partially blinded in an eye. Partially severed my little finger. Shredded my right ankle, also fractured my other. Had to go through 3 years of physical therapy to recover from multiple ankle injuries. Broke my fingers and toes multiple times I have had 20 piercings but been pierced over 20 times. I have been bald, and two years later had an afro. Once had a tumor removed that luckily was benign. I was skinny…a long time ago. Almost every time I go to the gas station or some shady part of town, someone always asks me if I want to buy some kind of hard drug. I am proud to say though that in my 20 years I have never drank alcohol, or smoked anything and have never done any kind of drugs. People have said I look like a drug addict, a famous actor, a mean person and a big teddy bear. I have flown to the other side of the world without my parents as a kid. Sat on a plane for over 14 hours…twice. Went to Australia, ate crocodile, saw the Sydney Opera House, had a koala claw up my chest, swam in the Great Barrier Reef and touched it, and had a kangaroo kick me. I have visited some amazing cities and some not so good ones too. I have gone on some amazing road trips with even more amazing people. I have had my face slammed on the hood of a cop car just for show. I have run from cops more than once. Cops have harassed me quite a few times too. I once got in deep trouble with a serious government agency for something stupid I said, and have to deal with the repercussions of that. I have disappointed many people including myself, but also made many people proud. I wrote book in second grade, then published a book in high school, which might have honestly been the worst selling book ever. I am still proud of it either way though. Been told I cannot write, that I am terrible, but have also been told my writing mesmerizes people and absorbs them into it; by professionals I might add. I have even published a few articles and stories before. Been on TV…a few times, once while painted like a crazy person and holding a sign asking for a job. I once busted out a bosses taillights when I quit and then had them call me the next morning to see if I was still coming in. Worked some cool jobs, with some incredible people. I have been hired at plenty of places, and just not shown up to some. Been screwed out of another job by some shady people. Had some shitty bosses and coworkers too.  Known some amazing people, and some not so amazing ones. Made many awesome friends, and lost many friends too. Helped raise a sister with Down syndrome. I have rescued three dogs from bad situations; two of them still live with me. Still have the pleasure of playing with my first puppy, almost 15 years after we got him. I have raised and damn near petted my piranhas, and bawled my eyes out when I had to kill them recently. I have had my wheel come off on my car and roll past me while driving, then nearly had it happen another 2 times. Brakes have gone out on me while driving…2 times. In my 4 years of driving, I have been through more cars than some people have toes. I accidently (sort of) shattered my own windshield, and had a bird try and shatter another windshield on me too. A bicycle cop once pulled me over after I passed him while doing over 55 in a 15 without my license, or proof of insurance on me…and got off with a warning. I almost rolled a car one time after I was run off the snow covered road, but somehow landed safely back onto all four wheels. I have seen how fucked up people can be like when I my first car decided to die on me while going home at 3 am with a car full of buddies and watched as everyone drove past because my friends were all black. I have also seen how awesome some people can be too. With the help of my father and plenty of mistakes, I have learned how to do body work on cars, and how to do some serious repairs. I have sled right into trees, and over giant hills. I have hiked mountainsides, swam in two oceans, plenty of lakes and a few rivers. I have fallen out of trees, off chairs, tables, ladders and just about anything that you can stand on. I was smacked in the head by a ceiling fan…more than once. I wrecked into things and broke much more. I once pepper sprayed myself, on accident of course. I have eaten some weird things, including ants that taste like lemons. I have got to meet all kinds of people including staying with brain surgeons from South Africa when I stayed in Australia. I have flown in a few planes, rode one real roller coaster, and almost cried. I have been to Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Juniors’ houses among others. I had an amazing art teacher and some amazing artist friends. I even had a friend do beautiful illustrations for my book, and honestly felt ashamed that they were placed in a book so below their own level of brilliance. I have painted some unique graffiti, and some ugly ass pictures. Some wonderful teachers have crossed my path and some downright awful ones too. In elementary school I was an A student. Then almost did not graduate high school because of poor grades. I was once on an expulsion list…because I caused too much trouble at sporting events. I almost did get expelled and arrested for a prank two of my friends and I pulled on our buddy for his birthday; but got off with suspension and some community service because one of my friends just so happened to be the son of the school board president. I almost did not walk five minutes before graduation because I got into an argument with a principal who hated me. I was a geek, a nerd, a loner, an outcast, a jock, a popular kid, a goofball a class clown, a jerk and a nice person. In high school, my peers voted me most spirited and class rebel and like a true rebel, I was not at prom to accept my award. Even after my countless screw-ups in high school, I have successfully turned myself into an honor student in college. Recently I became an inductee of a national honors fraternity for my hard work. I have to compete with my mother head to head to see who can get the higher GPA. I have not won…yet. The school of my dreams rejected me, which broke my heart. I then worked my ass off and received an acceptance letter a year later, only to have my heart broken once more because I could not afford to go. I fell asleep in class…once. I have skipped quite a few, including missing well over 2 months worth of my freshman year of high school. However, I have had perfect attendance in college, more than once. I have taken Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and ASL. I was in the process of moving all the way across the country, but had to cut my losses and stay in Columbus after all. I have conned a man, and he wanted to shoot me because of it. One time I burnt off my eyelashes and eyebrows, and have done plenty of other stupid stunts. I was a Boy Scout, but quit just shy of being the youngest Eagle Scout my troop had ever seen. I have been on a TV commercial for local high school football, and led the crowds at many of games. I almost fought an entire high school basketball team once, and am sure glad that did not happen. I played baseball for most of my younger life, and fell in love with the sport. I played high school football…briefly but had to quit because of injuries. I once watched a man shatter his entire eye socket in a game of rugby and come back into the game 15 minutes later. I watched Jim Edmonds famous home run robbing catch of Adam Dunn…in person. I have been kicked out of multiple games and even a few local restaurants and gotten into altercations with event security for unruly behavior. I have been to plenty of Cardinals games, watched them lose a lot in person too. Me and some buddies almost walked right into Lou Ferrigno one time. I have seen some pretty amazing movies and TV shows, and have been inspired to get into the industry. I even tried auditioning for a play once, but I suffer from terrible stage fright. I have held conversations with some of my favorite rappers. I remember the first time I ever really listened to rap music and remember when I fell in love with hip-hop. I have listened to some amazing music and some downright awful music too. I have seen music help me through good and bad times and had it change my life. I have seen numerous good times, and many bad ones also. I remember where I was on 9/11 and remember when gas was 95 cents. I have witnessed many horrible things in the world. I once took two bottles of pills and was about to use a knife to take my own life, but had a friend rush over to save me. I battle with my depression every day but am thankful to say I have overcome much of it. In my life, I have made a lot of people laugh, made some important ones cry. A few girls have screwed me over and unfortunately, I hurt a few too. I have fought with my sister but almost was arrested for threatening to kill a cab driver in a Wendy’s parking lot…when he got lost and did not bring her home on time. I have a multitude of character flaws, some good and some bad. I have some anger issues, some kindness issues, some confidence issues, and a lack of confidence issue; I am shy and at times overly outgoing. I am extremely argumentative and hold grudges bad. I have done several things I am proud of and have done some things I am more than ashamed of. Plenty of times, I have stood in front of hundreds of people and made a fool of myself, and laughed with some great friends about it. I have talked a lot of shit, but only to people’s faces. I am not ashamed to say I have told a few lies, but told many more truths. I have told some people off, and been put in my place by others. I have dealt with some fake people, been hurt by quite a few. Sadly, I too have hurt some, something I am not too proud of either. I have not had the pleasure of being close or really even knowing my extended family, but have had the joy of having the best mom, dad and sister anyone could ever ask for, and no matter what anyone says I will argue they are better than anyone else’s. I have some of the best friends anyone could ever have, who are my family…no matter what anyone says. I have told some great stories, mostly all my own, and have been able to hear some amazing ones too. I have got to see my friends do some great things, and got to laugh with them after we have done some dumb ones. Some great opportunities have been given to me, and I have blown some too. The point is I have done some great things, and some not so great ones. I have lived the kind of life that people read about but not necessarily, the one they dream about, and I am only about ¼ of the way done it. I am not famous, or rich, or an international criminal. While at times my life may seem boring and it may seem that I haven’t accomplished much all I have to do is sit down and look back at all the smiles, laughs, fights, cries, anger, love, pain, joy, misery, excitement, fear, danger, I have experienced along the way to realize I have lived one hell of a life; and that I wouldn’t trade it for anyone else’s. This story is not over; it is to be continued…

A Blast From the Past, and A Look to the Future.

Tonight was a good night for my beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Tony La Russa returned to manage the team for the first time in 6 games, and they bounced back from a 3 game sweep by the Cincinnati Reds with an impressive win over The Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1. They did extremely well against Cliff Lee too: through 6 1/3 inning tonight, Lee gave up 6 Walks, a career high and one shy of doubling his season total. Westbrook entered the game with a near 7.00 ERA, and pitched 7 beautiful innings only allowing 1 run on 4 hits against a powerful Phillies lineup. Berkman and Holliday continued to hit the ball well.

However the real story of the night isn’t how well we played, or La Russa’s return to the dugout. No the true story of the night was a blast from the past and simultaneously a view into the future of Cardinals Baseball. Albert Pujols, for the first time since September 23, 2002, started at 3B. That old Cardinals enemy, Lance Berkman, started in The Machines place at first. This was purely a strategical move on La Rusa’s part who was wanting to get Craig in the lineup, but didn’t feel comfortable with him playing the infield. Berkman is much more comfortable at 1B than RF anyways, and Albert originally came up as a 3B so it was a natural choice for La Russa. However, if one really looks into it, this could be more than just another brilliant strategical move by Tony. This could be the future of the Cardinals; that is Berkman at first.

It’s no secret that Albert is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, likely to garner one of the biggest contract offers in the history of professional sports, still has not signed a contract extension with St. Louis. A move in the off season to pick up Berkman might have appeared to most as just an attempt to strengthen up the offense; but I would argue it was just as much an insurance policy. Berkman who for years now was the 1B for the Houston Astros, as well as long stints in the outfield, had a rough season last year and was looking for a chance to bounce back. Of course no one suspected he would play as good as he has offensively, but it’s clear-defensively-hes not a long term option at RF. With the lack of a deal in place between Albert and St. Louis, the Berkman acquisition is looking smarter and smarter. It is highly likely that next year, for the first time since Albert moved to 1B, the St. Louis Cardinals will have a new everyday First-baseman. Tonight was a glimpse into the very possible near future of Cardinals baseball, that has a long time rival starting in place of a beloved St. Louis legend. It seems only fitting that if Albert does leave, someone like Berkman should take his place. I think secretly Tony might have been trying to get a feel for what the team would look like with a different man at the position; and I don’t suspect this is the last time we will see Berkman at 1B and Albert at 3B this year. With David Freese on the DL for the foreseeable future, it is highly likely that Albert will see multiple starts at the hot corner this season. Some might be upset to see this, but I personally think it is a good thing for us Cardinal fans to get a taste of what it is like to see someone other than Albert starting at 1B for us. If indeed Albert does leave I think its only fitting that a guy like Berkman takes his place. Hopefully everything works out and Albert returns, but if not I think we could do way worse than Berkman at 1B.

Here’s an interesting thought though. Say Albert does return, and Freese proves to be injury prone (as it is appearing), Berkman really shouldn’t be in the outfield if it can be avoided, and Albert has showed in the past to be a very capable 3B. It would be a very interesting situation to see Albert at 3B and Berkman at 1B on a regular basis. For now though all we can do as St. Louis fans is enjoy Albert while he’s still a Cardinal, and see what happens. If he can pick up his hitting (which he surely will) we could be looking at one hell of a season from him, Holliday and Berkman, anyone remember the MV3?

(Source: ESPN)