To my friends,
I hope you follow your heart before you follow your mind,
Take risks, never give up, and of course always be kind,
Never sell-out, and think of others before you think about you,
Make someone smile everyday, keep old friends but make room for new,
Don't judge, believe in fate, and keep a smile on your face,
Mind your own business, don't start rumors, and keep a steady pace,
Go with the flow, don't be so uptight, and laugh when you can,
Climb a mountain, jump out of a plane, fly like Peter Pan,
Live while your here, check things off of your bucket list,
Help someone when you can, use the mind and never the fist,
Don't take anything for granted, and never get taken over by greed,
Talk less, listen more, whenever you find a chance, do a good deed,
Stay optimistic, shoot for the stars, and slow down once in a while,
Take the road less traveled now and then, even if it's an extra mile,
Never take more than you need, and get up and try again if you should fall,
Stand up for what you believe in, and never give up if backed against a wall,
Always tell the truth, give God a fighting chance, and never practice self pity,
Don't tattle on someone else, never back down, and explore the country and the city,
Get the most out of life, and be the best you can be is all I'm trying to say,
Enjoy the blog and I hope I inspired someone in any sort of way.
Peace
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Life is What you Make It
Hello everyone,
I apologize for my lack of writing these past few days. I have been really busy at work so time did not allow me to entertain the masses. While I was on my hiatus, I received a blog comment from an anonymous reader on a post I had about a year ago. The blog was written about the passing of my neighbor, Ron Losey. It can be read here, Heaven Landed a Hell of a Man Last Night. Anyway, someone posted a comment on there, and I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but it was out of line. You can read it below.
My first reaction was to slam the person for many reasons unrelated to this blog. The person responsible for this comment doesn't want me to write about the way they view their own family and how they have stooped so low in the past to call out multiple people in my life who have passed. What kind of person takes a shot at the dead? Very few, which is why I narrowed it down to this person. I will not mention their name because I respect this person way more than they respect me. The person isn't even worthy of writing about but I am spending time on this topic because I don't understand how someone can live a life full of hate? Hate takes more energy than any other emotion. If you actually spend time hating someone, you are probably giving them the attention that they want. This person who wrote this comment has so much hate built up in them, it's oozing out more than the amount of times they overused ellipses in the comment. You don't have to read this blog if you don't want to. No one is making you, but you referenced 2 of my blogs in this comment so you must be enjoying yourself. Thank you for the page views. I'm glad to be writing at a 6th grade level, because I at least know that ... is an ellipses and there is really only need for one period after each sentence, so get off your ever long period and start smiling. Hate makes you miserable. It doesn't do anything to you. I have had disagreements in the past and my heart was filled with hate, but it never solved anything for either side. I forgive a lot now. It may take some time for certain things, but learn to shake hands. My mom always says, "Life is what you make it," so if you want to be miserable, go and be miserable, but keep it to yourself. Don't take it out on others just to make yourself feel better. Before you start judging everyone else, start with yourself. Look in the mirror. Be kind. That is always my mother's number one rule and it is a good rule of thumb.
I apologize for my lack of writing these past few days. I have been really busy at work so time did not allow me to entertain the masses. While I was on my hiatus, I received a blog comment from an anonymous reader on a post I had about a year ago. The blog was written about the passing of my neighbor, Ron Losey. It can be read here, Heaven Landed a Hell of a Man Last Night. Anyway, someone posted a comment on there, and I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but it was out of line. You can read it below.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Bullying & Some Local Sports
In 2008, Jessica Logan of Sycamore High School hung herself after sending nude photos of herself to someone and he, in turn distributed the photos to classmates. The classmates then harassed Jessica. The teen's parents settled in a lawsuit for an undisclosed amount against the school for failure to protect their daughter. You can read more about this story here.
I bring this up because it reminds me how cruel school can be. How many of you have been bullied in your lives? There is always someone bigger and willing to pick on someone weaker than them. I'm sure many of you reading this have bullied someone in your lives as well. Maybe just tried to get a cheap laugh when you did it or maybe it was to feel better about yourself. We do it because we are selfish people. We do it because we never think about what is going on in that other person's mind. This girl's whole world was ruined when she sent a picture to this jerk of a boy who probably whispered sweet nothings into her ear, with no real feelings for the girl at all. He most likely promised these pictures would be between just he and her. He probably then sent them to these other girls who passed them on to others. She probably had the worst feeling seeing all of the eyes in the hallway fixating on her and hearing giggles as she passed. We have all seen movies like Never Been Kissed, where the boy asks the girl to prom just as a joke to throw eggs at her as he drives by or the cruel betting game from She's All That.
What I don't get is as a society, most of us root for the underdog. We hate Duke and the Pittsburgh Steelers because they always win. We hate the rich. We love Robin Hood and David. We hate Mr. Burns and Donald Trump, yet we always tease a kid to impress these kids who are labeled as 'cool' because they have a furry letter on their chest with leather sleeves. Why must we pick on people if they are different than us? Does it really make you feel better about yourself? No. Maybe you will be 'cool' in someone's eyes because they will see it as funny for about two seconds. Well, that kid you just said something to has been thinking about it all day, because he looks up to you. He admires you. He's different. He plays in the band. You may not like the band but you don't have to hate him for liking them. People die for stupid reasons in this world. People die for believing in a different god than someone else and then people die from hate crimes, and people kill themselves for bullying. I remember reading The Slam Book back in middle school about this school who made this book kind of like the book in Mean Girls where you put someone's name at the top and you can anonymously write whatever you want about someone underneath.
The thing got passed on and on until a chubby girl read it and slit her wrists. A little laugh that most people will forget about after 5 minutes isn't worth someone's life. How could you live with that on your conscience? I'm always nice to people because you never know how hard of a day they had. Maybe they need someone to talk to. I was on both ends of the bullying spectrum in high school but I beat it by laughing at myself. If you give them nothing to make fun of you about they will stop. Now I was a jerk to some people back then because I wanted to fit in, but I also learned from it and I stopped midway through high school. What is the point of being popular when being mean comes with the territory? Bullying is not something I comment on often. I actually have never been too passionate about the anti-bullying cause or anything like that but teens can be cruel, man. That's all I have to say and there is no reason. Reading that story about Jessica, made me think back to some of the things I went through and I know a lot of us went through in high school so I thought I'd give my two cents on bullying.
Winner of the Day: My Cincinnati Reds! They won the first two games of the division series after losing their ace after 8 pitches Saturday. They had plenty of excuses not to win but came together as a team and won that one. They followed with a dominant pitching performance by the veteran, Bronson Arroyo. Now they can sweep tomorrow with the next three, if needed, at home.
Loser of the Day: My Cincinnati Bengals. They looked awful yesterday in a loss to the infirior Dolphins in Cincinnati. Dalton struggled, and turnovers were the downfall. I should make my fantasy team the loser of the day though as I have the worst luck again (even though I don't believe in luck) because I lost again by less than 2 points.
Quote of the Day: "I've been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don't have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms."-Lady Gaga
Song of the Day: Don't Laugh At Me by Mark Wills
Non-Bullying Mean Comment of the Day:
Jessica Logan
I bring this up because it reminds me how cruel school can be. How many of you have been bullied in your lives? There is always someone bigger and willing to pick on someone weaker than them. I'm sure many of you reading this have bullied someone in your lives as well. Maybe just tried to get a cheap laugh when you did it or maybe it was to feel better about yourself. We do it because we are selfish people. We do it because we never think about what is going on in that other person's mind. This girl's whole world was ruined when she sent a picture to this jerk of a boy who probably whispered sweet nothings into her ear, with no real feelings for the girl at all. He most likely promised these pictures would be between just he and her. He probably then sent them to these other girls who passed them on to others. She probably had the worst feeling seeing all of the eyes in the hallway fixating on her and hearing giggles as she passed. We have all seen movies like Never Been Kissed, where the boy asks the girl to prom just as a joke to throw eggs at her as he drives by or the cruel betting game from She's All That.
Drew Barrymore as Josie Geller in Never Been Kissed
What I don't get is as a society, most of us root for the underdog. We hate Duke and the Pittsburgh Steelers because they always win. We hate the rich. We love Robin Hood and David. We hate Mr. Burns and Donald Trump, yet we always tease a kid to impress these kids who are labeled as 'cool' because they have a furry letter on their chest with leather sleeves. Why must we pick on people if they are different than us? Does it really make you feel better about yourself? No. Maybe you will be 'cool' in someone's eyes because they will see it as funny for about two seconds. Well, that kid you just said something to has been thinking about it all day, because he looks up to you. He admires you. He's different. He plays in the band. You may not like the band but you don't have to hate him for liking them. People die for stupid reasons in this world. People die for believing in a different god than someone else and then people die from hate crimes, and people kill themselves for bullying. I remember reading The Slam Book back in middle school about this school who made this book kind of like the book in Mean Girls where you put someone's name at the top and you can anonymously write whatever you want about someone underneath.
The Slam Book by Ann M. Martin, author of The Baby Sitter's Club Series
The thing got passed on and on until a chubby girl read it and slit her wrists. A little laugh that most people will forget about after 5 minutes isn't worth someone's life. How could you live with that on your conscience? I'm always nice to people because you never know how hard of a day they had. Maybe they need someone to talk to. I was on both ends of the bullying spectrum in high school but I beat it by laughing at myself. If you give them nothing to make fun of you about they will stop. Now I was a jerk to some people back then because I wanted to fit in, but I also learned from it and I stopped midway through high school. What is the point of being popular when being mean comes with the territory? Bullying is not something I comment on often. I actually have never been too passionate about the anti-bullying cause or anything like that but teens can be cruel, man. That's all I have to say and there is no reason. Reading that story about Jessica, made me think back to some of the things I went through and I know a lot of us went through in high school so I thought I'd give my two cents on bullying.
Winner of the Day: My Cincinnati Reds! They won the first two games of the division series after losing their ace after 8 pitches Saturday. They had plenty of excuses not to win but came together as a team and won that one. They followed with a dominant pitching performance by the veteran, Bronson Arroyo. Now they can sweep tomorrow with the next three, if needed, at home.
Loser of the Day: My Cincinnati Bengals. They looked awful yesterday in a loss to the infirior Dolphins in Cincinnati. Dalton struggled, and turnovers were the downfall. I should make my fantasy team the loser of the day though as I have the worst luck again (even though I don't believe in luck) because I lost again by less than 2 points.
Quote of the Day: "I've been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don't have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms."-Lady Gaga
Song of the Day: Don't Laugh At Me by Mark Wills
Non-Bullying Mean Comment of the Day:
Thursday, October 4, 2012
For Love of the Game
For the second time in three years, the Cincinnati Reds will be headed to the playoffs beginning Saturday against the San Francisco Giants. Last time they got a no-hitter thrown against them and committed countless errors, which they didn't do all season. The moment was too big for them. They went in with the "happy to be there" mentality and never really even got their feet wet. They were blown out of the water by a much better Philadelphia team. This 2012 team is different. They are ready this time. In 2010, the team had no ace, go to pitcher. This year they have two: Cueto and Latos. Chapman was a rookie in 2010 and had little experience all season in the majors. This time, he is possibly the most dominating closer in the game, which you could never say about Francisco Cordero in a Reds uniform. Even with getting the #2 seed in the National League, I think it will be a disappointing season if the Reds do not win at least one playoff series. This city craves it. Cincinnati has always been a baseball town. Cincinnati is known for goetta, chili, euchre, flying pigs, and the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are the favorite team of Charlie Sheen and George Clooney (also Nick Lachey but let's just leave that out).
I know most of my readers for some reason are female so I won't spend too much time on sports but the Reds earned it. The last time this team won the World Series was when I was 5 years old. 1990 (sorry I could only find a card of 1991).
I was becoming a Bellevue Vets T-Ball All Star. I loved baseball from the first time I played a game. I know from my parents telling me mostly that I ran to third after hitting the first time. I think it's the smell. It's hard to explain. It's the sound the ball makes when it hits a catcher's mitt. It's the chewing of sunflower seeds on the bench. It's the strapping of batting gloves over and over until they are on just right. It's putting on eye black. It's the sweat bleeding through the cap. It's the moment you turn the perfect double play for the first time. It's the teasing of your teammates and still knowing they have your back. It's the toughness of not rubbing your skin after getting hit by a pitch. It's the chalk. It's the shining in the lights, and the cracking of the bat. It's perfect games and triple crowns. It's when 162 games isn't enough. It's America's past time. That's why I love baseball. There is no other sport like it.
Winner of the Day: Oakland A's. They won the AL West Yesterday. They were not leading the division a single day until the last game of the season. They were as much as 13 games out.
Loser of the Day: This Man. He stole a pizza man's wallet, but left his own wallet behind. The Story.
Quote of the Day: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."-Bull Durham
Song of the Day: The Scientist Willie Nelson Version
NBA Roster Move of the Day: Rasheed Wallace is back in the league. He is one of my top 5 players of all time so naturally I'm excited about this. The Knicks signed him as a 38 year old. He had been retired.
I was becoming a Bellevue Vets T-Ball All Star. I loved baseball from the first time I played a game. I know from my parents telling me mostly that I ran to third after hitting the first time. I think it's the smell. It's hard to explain. It's the sound the ball makes when it hits a catcher's mitt. It's the chewing of sunflower seeds on the bench. It's the strapping of batting gloves over and over until they are on just right. It's putting on eye black. It's the sweat bleeding through the cap. It's the moment you turn the perfect double play for the first time. It's the teasing of your teammates and still knowing they have your back. It's the toughness of not rubbing your skin after getting hit by a pitch. It's the chalk. It's the shining in the lights, and the cracking of the bat. It's perfect games and triple crowns. It's when 162 games isn't enough. It's America's past time. That's why I love baseball. There is no other sport like it.
Winner of the Day: Oakland A's. They won the AL West Yesterday. They were not leading the division a single day until the last game of the season. They were as much as 13 games out.
Loser of the Day: This Man. He stole a pizza man's wallet, but left his own wallet behind. The Story.
Quote of the Day: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."-Bull Durham
Song of the Day: The Scientist Willie Nelson Version
NBA Roster Move of the Day: Rasheed Wallace is back in the league. He is one of my top 5 players of all time so naturally I'm excited about this. The Knicks signed him as a 38 year old. He had been retired.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Superstition, Fate, Oedipus Rex, and Peanut Butter
I'm not much of a superstitious person. I don't believe in jinxing. I don't believe knocking on wood will prevent something from happening. I don't believe stepping on the chalk will keep you from getting a hit in a baseball game. I don't believe wearing a certain hat will help your favorite team win. I don't believe in rabbit feet being lucky or wearing the same under shirt under your basketball jersey because you dropped 30 last game will help you do it again. I believe more in creating your own luck. I believe in being in the right place at the right time. I believe luck is created by momentum. Say two guys are commentating about Lebron James not missing a free throw in 50 tries.
He will always miss, right? And then your buddy will turn to you and say, "They jinxed him." This is a myth. He doesn't always miss. We just remember them being wrong, but countless times I have seen them not jinx the player by saying that and no one ever brings those times up. People magnify an instance when they are trying to prove jinxing exists. I named my Summer volleyball team Back on Top this year. Now after winning two straight championships, we followed with two forth place finishes. I named the team after the two championships Three Peters because we were going to win our third straight championship (and we had three males hence the three peters reference).
We of course flopped and didn't win. Some would say I jinxed my team (including my cousin on the team who was angry at me for naming the team that). In my opinion, jinxing can get into your head and cause you to play worse or do something worse. If you are spinning a ball on your finger, you may say to someone, "I've never gone less than 10 seconds spinning this on my finger." When you go to show them maybe you only last 5 seconds. Maybe it's because it's in your head not because you jinxed yourself. Anyway back to Back on Top. I named my team that, with everyone saying, "No, don't do that you will never win now." I did it to show my team I had confidence in them but to also prove we didn't lose 2 years before because I named a team Three Peters. We won the whole thing this season, with no jinx. I bring this all up because I lost a fantasy football game by .4 points yesterday. If you remember a blog I wrote on September 13, 2011, I lost by .3 in the first game of the season (You can read it here). I know no one cares to listen about someone else's fantasy team but even the other players in my league feel bad for it. For two years now we had a decimal system. I have been the only victim of it not once, but twice now. I had a pretty comfortable lead going into Monday Night Football and then Brandon Marshall decides to score a garbage time touchdown in the game. A lot of people have been telling me I have bad luck. It got me in the mindset that I did. Until I started writing this blog. I mean nothing I did was going to stop Marshall from scoring that touchdown. Crossing my fingers wouldn't have done anything, which by the way I always say cross your fingers or knock on wood, but that doesn't mean I believe it will work; it is because society taught me to say those things and do those things. I believe everything happens for a reason. I kind of believe in fate. Have any of you ever heard of Oedipus Rex, aka Oedipus the King? It's an ancient Greek tragic play by a dude named, Sophocles.
He will always miss, right? And then your buddy will turn to you and say, "They jinxed him." This is a myth. He doesn't always miss. We just remember them being wrong, but countless times I have seen them not jinx the player by saying that and no one ever brings those times up. People magnify an instance when they are trying to prove jinxing exists. I named my Summer volleyball team Back on Top this year. Now after winning two straight championships, we followed with two forth place finishes. I named the team after the two championships Three Peters because we were going to win our third straight championship (and we had three males hence the three peters reference).
We of course flopped and didn't win. Some would say I jinxed my team (including my cousin on the team who was angry at me for naming the team that). In my opinion, jinxing can get into your head and cause you to play worse or do something worse. If you are spinning a ball on your finger, you may say to someone, "I've never gone less than 10 seconds spinning this on my finger." When you go to show them maybe you only last 5 seconds. Maybe it's because it's in your head not because you jinxed yourself. Anyway back to Back on Top. I named my team that, with everyone saying, "No, don't do that you will never win now." I did it to show my team I had confidence in them but to also prove we didn't lose 2 years before because I named a team Three Peters. We won the whole thing this season, with no jinx. I bring this all up because I lost a fantasy football game by .4 points yesterday. If you remember a blog I wrote on September 13, 2011, I lost by .3 in the first game of the season (You can read it here). I know no one cares to listen about someone else's fantasy team but even the other players in my league feel bad for it. For two years now we had a decimal system. I have been the only victim of it not once, but twice now. I had a pretty comfortable lead going into Monday Night Football and then Brandon Marshall decides to score a garbage time touchdown in the game. A lot of people have been telling me I have bad luck. It got me in the mindset that I did. Until I started writing this blog. I mean nothing I did was going to stop Marshall from scoring that touchdown. Crossing my fingers wouldn't have done anything, which by the way I always say cross your fingers or knock on wood, but that doesn't mean I believe it will work; it is because society taught me to say those things and do those things. I believe everything happens for a reason. I kind of believe in fate. Have any of you ever heard of Oedipus Rex, aka Oedipus the King? It's an ancient Greek tragic play by a dude named, Sophocles.
Sophocles
Basically, the moral is you can't escape your fate. Oedipus father hears from an Oracle that his own son was going to kill him so he gets rid of him. Oedipus then hears his fate that he will end up being with his mother and will kill his father. Of course he doesn't want to do this so he decides to leave his adopted parents. He didn't know he would run into his true father, kill him in battle and wed his former wife at his kingdom which was his mother. It was my fate that I was going to lose the game this week, nothing more or less.
Winner of the Day: Brandon Marshall. That bastard accounted for way too many fantasy points so I will give him kudos. Well played sir.
Loser of the Day: Peanut Butter. A lot of it has been recalled from major grocery stores. The Story
Quote of the Day: “Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.”-Lemony Snicket
Song of the Day: Beautiful Boy by John Lennon
Michael Clarke Duncan Facts of the Day: Not only did he supposedly give five dollars to anyone who recognized him on the street and knew what his full name was; he also Did bodyguard work for Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and The Notorious B.I.G.; he let a friend take over for him the night Notorious B.I.G. got shot, which prompted him to quit that line of work.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Christian Bailey
Homer Bailey. He accomplished something on Friday that no pitcher on the Reds have accomplished since Tom Browning in 1988. Tom's was perfect, but Homer pitched a no-hitter. Homer has owned the Pirates in his career. He's had 3 complete games, all at PNC Park. This time, he took it to another level. Homer came to the Reds with high expectations. He was a high draft pick and considered the future ace. When he first came up, he was cocky thinking he could own hitters with is fastball. He found out quickly he wasn't in the minors anymore. He gave new meaning to "Homer" giving up home runs left and right. Pitchers like Cueto and Volquez moved ahead of him and he became an after thought. This year, he has been the 4th best pitcher on a very good pitching staff. Homer is the only one to throw a no hitter and it was a long journey to get there. I am happy for him, and it's perfect to help the team going into the playoffs. Until this no hitter he was probably more well known for looking like Christian Bale.
Christian Bailey celebrating his no hitter
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