Tonight: Battle of the Unbeaten! LA vs Columbus (UPDATED)

LA Galaxy (8-0-2, 1st place West) @ Columbus Crew (6-0-2, 1st place East) -- 7:30pm
Tonight marks MLS history as the latest in a season that two undefeated teams have ever met. I'm seriously so pumped for this. Like many of the supporters from both clubs, this is all I have thought about for the last two weeks. A match with little immediate fallout to risk, but a game with so much on the line. Planning on making the walk from Rubys and then doing some tailgating with Captain Ron and his youth team! If I had got to sleep a little earlier than 3;45am last night, I would be even more excited (see previous post).

Articles on tonight's MASSIVE match:
Preview: Crew vs. Galaxy
Columbus believe they can beat LA without crisp passing
Galaxy: we have nothing to fear

UPDATE: We dominated possession and played some of the prettiest play we have all year, yet Columbus fell 2-0 to LA. After tying San Jose last night (6/2), Columbus now sits at 6-1-3. Next, @ Colorado (6/5)

"Huh, do you see our cars?" $140 later...

Definitely had my car towed for the first time last night. Was a little confused as to what provoked it, I mean besides being parked in the Kroger parking lot after hours. But.. it was empty, and I'm pretty sure they were closed anyway? So yeah they got us good, they got us good.

VFC Monday night league: We draw 4-4

In this Monday's game in the Vineyard FC (Football Club) we conceded a goal in the very last minute that brought the score to 4-4, a disappointing finish to a game that started out with our opponent having a four player advantage. Yes, it was 6v10 to start. We need more players; with the 80 degree weather I was dying out there. We scored a goal with what we thought were 30 seconds left to play, it was 4-3 in our favor. Not even one minute later, they scored to make it 4 all. The whistle blew shortly after. Our record now stands 0-1-2. We're off next week, then back on June 7th.

LOST Finale: my reaction and thoughts

I only just discovered the series three months ago, and spent hours upon hours online watching seasons 1-6 so I could catch up to new episodes on TV. Now it's over.

I think that the last of 'Lost' gave us fans plenty to be content with. While the last five minutes certainly seemed to be a turn to religion, I cannot express enough how it was not. The entire story of the series was too complex, spent too much time on other dynamics- philosophy, physics, story telling, the good vs evil. There is no way the producers and writers would let it dumb down to religion. Instead it was a test of us to believe that it's something in each of us that is bigger than how we perceive ourselves. I believe there were many messages throughout the two and a half hours. One being we are connected more than anything by love and the creation of life; that no matter who we are, we are capable of something so much larger than we give ourselves credit for. That life and love are beautiful and can take us anywhere. That we overcome anything when we realize we don't have to answer all of life's questions, but just need those important ones in our life to be close to us as we move along through the stages. As one of the actors put, if you were looking for decisive answers to all the questions then you were probably disappointed; if you were looking for emotional closure to the characters stories then you were probably satisfied. I was satisfied.

However, there was one theory I had that was no doubt shot down. I figured for them to have their "awakening" in the flash-sideways, that everyone needed to die in the real life. Obviously Hugo, Ben, Kate, Frank, Sawyer, Miles, Desmond, and Claire did not die as they either stayed behind on the island (Hugo, Ben) or left via the Ajira plane. Wtf? So there would be two of the latter characters living in real life? Also- Hurley's conversation with Ben outside the church suggests that as they were all meeting there, it was a farther into the future than Jack's last moments on the island. So does that mean what we thought were the flash-sideways really ended up being the flash-forwards? It would coincide with my theory that everyone would have had to die to make it there to the church that day, but at this point who knows. Those are the only things I have left unanswered, but I love that there are remaining questions. The show will never die this way. Goodbye to the greatest show I've ever viewed.

Never enough

Sometimes I feel like it's never enough, and by "it's" I mean me. I'm not sure what vibe I give off that has become this subconscious killswitch in my social life. All I know is that regardless of all my ramblings about life, living this way or doing things that way, at the end of the day I'm someone who wants to be capable of so many great things. A closet romantic I am, and I'm beginning to think that I've talked myself into not ever being able to realize these great things.

One after another. Sigh.

Wait, is that.. yes it is.. sunshine!

Looks like the two weeks of cloudy days, off and on rain, and random downpours could be over... for the moment. I've heard the forecast went from a week of sun to only three to four days. The sun, however, could not have shown up at a better time, as it's been two weeks since you could do anything outside in the sun and that surely gets me irritated. Here's to some rays.

Busy weekend at work. Just a busy weekend in general. A busy one where I've faced an unpleasant variety of socially awkward situations anywhere I've been. But you'll have that, right?

In other interests:

-LOST finale tonight. I only fell in love with this show maybe, three months ago? I'm sure it will be an interesting 2.5 hours.

-On Thursday, Columbus beat Red Bull New York to take over first place in the East, continue their undefeated season of 5-0-2, and continue to get off to best start in club history. Columbus travels to Kansas City tonight for their second match in four days.

Inside my head: Thinking and questioning the way, here are some of the answers

Between my travels and within my writings, it becomes clearer and clearer to me that the timing of events, of situations, in one's life only have purpose within just that - one's individual life. It doesn't involve a higher power, it doesn't involve any other human or future. It is all you. This timing prepares each and every one of us for those "how do I?" moments. The only way we overcome, the only way we survive or succeed is based on one simple thing. When we arrive at those moments, what have we done throughout the years of our pasts to answer this question in the present? What scenarios did we learn adversity from? We can pretend to ask others for their opinion, advice, or their solution. None of that matters. Friends, family, gods, strangers, co-workers, etc. You can perceive their input as important as you want; fact of the matter is that if you follow any of the aforementioned, you are in no way true to yourself. You leave your path. You redirect your journey.

Your educated gut feeling (it is educated whether you feel it is or not. Your life has specifically prepared you for these moments. Moments that may be falsely common to some, but are truly unique to you), the one that certain third party opinions will stand behind and others will try to thwart, is the one and only way. Some will have experienced similar chain of events and each will give what they believe is the adequate equation to solve the problems that find you through life. Again- your past experiences, your common knowledge, that "gut" feeling to make a decision that disregards the social norms. The options you weigh on your mind are yours and yours alone, no matter how common they might seem among those around you. Each thought, each passing minute, each sunset has a message. If we don't take the time to add these messages up as they come, then we scramble for answers when a critical moment arrives. We seek the help that others ultimately cannot give, no matter how close the friend, how loved the family member, or how high the god. Have you paid attention to the timing of events in your seemingly normal, routine, every-day life? You will not make it through as your true self if you don't.

An evening chat with Kevin Farmer

11:56pm Me
earing in the tongue and she know whata do wit it

11:57pmKevin
haha....what's that from?

11:58pmMe
lol freek a leek

11:58pmKevin
I've never heard it...:-p

11:59pmMe
hmmmmmmm is this kevo-bot? the real kevo is locked up in the kevo-bunker isnt he

11:59pmKevin
beep boop....error. can not compute. Today.
please input your 24 digit pin code to continue

12:03amMe
4 8 15 16 23 42 4 8 15 16 23 42 4 8 15 16 23 42 4 8 15 16 23 42

12:03amKevin
processing...
please hold
processing...
processing...
loading...
loading...
loading...
access Granted!
welcome PAUL G

12:04amMe
kevo-bot, what have you done with kevo!?

12:05amKevin
Kevo is out...press pound to leave a message

12:05amMe
#

12:06amKevin
hello you've reached the voice mail of Kevin and I'm not available, please leave a message after the tone
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

12:10amMe
kevin dude, i sent you an obvi freek-a-leek line and you asked me what's that from. I knew right away it was an imposter. the chat went offline, and he now has automated msgs answering me. he won't let me contact you directly, he's forwarding all questions to KevoMail. i can be reached at 614.228.6511 until 7am. i hope you escape soon, it won't be long till he finds the cessna, 2 tons of coke and the guns.

12:11amKevin
error...you're message has not been recorded...to re-record your message, press 1, if you are satisfied with your message, you may hang up now

12:12am Me
son of a bitch. err. 1

Incredible finish to Crew vs Revs, Tonight: my first outdoor game since highschool (UPDATED)

Saturday marked my first Crew game of the 2010 season. 3-2 win, on a Robbie Rogers goal in the 90th minute. Wild night.

I joined a local 16-team Vineyard FC league in Westerville. Couldn't find my beloved Predators, so my brother has the Mercurial Vapor's and loved them and he recommended the cheaper Talaria's. Absolutely love them. UPDATE: Four goals scored in the first half kinda sealed our fate. Late in the first half I switched from left back to stopper. The second half we had zero goals scored on us, so as my new teammate Kyle said, we can take something from that. FT: 0-4, loss

"From the neck-down, a man is worth $.10 an hour, from the neck up.. he's worth $.90"

I just had one of the most genius conversations with a guest that I've ever had. The quote in the title of this post was something he repeated to me 2 or 3 times.

"When I brought my highschool diploma home and showed my dad, he looked at me and said, 'That's great, you're 18. Get out.' The next week I was on an oil tanker in Saudi Arabia. I'd do one tour and come home; have 20,000 in the bank. Do another tour, come home; have 30,000 in the bank. 40,000. 50,000. At 27 I bought my first house. You gotta work man. You work hard and you keep your head on straight and you'll have people fist-fighting to have you work for them. Fist-fighting."

He went on to explain how his oldest son, turning 27 on Wednesday, had to be kicked out of the house three times now and had no motivation to work. This made me think about some of my acquaintances and how they too seem to have never given a shit about where they end up in life. They work job to job and quit job to job, and somehow seem to be doing better than me. How is that?

"Now listen to me. I swear, don't ever have kids. They only drag you down from day one. They cost more than your life does and in today's world it's worse than a 50/50 chance that they will amount to anything."

I replied while laughing, "Hah, that's all my grandparents ever tell me. So ya don't have to preach it too hard to me, I'm already convinced."

The man continued with memories of him being a tugboat captain throughout the gulf shores. "God I loved it. You would never think it, but best job in the world, man. Best job in the world."

"Do you miss the water?" I asked with a smile. I didn't have it in me to ask him about the current situation down there. Besides, I really needed to get back to work.

"Man, you have no idea. Tugboat captain. Best job in the world."

Funny how this all ties into the post that I wrote out only, what, an hour before? And that I have this in-depth of a conversation with someone who ends up reassuring me that the way I live and think really is the way I need to live. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if he had a hook bracelet on. Walking to the elevator to meet his temporary home for the night, he looked back and left me with this:

"We either sink or we swim, man. Don't be afraid to sink. We learn to think quicker, work harder. We get back on top. It's sink or swim."

Feeling alive, feeling good

Never sure when the truth won't do, I'm pretty good on a lonely night

I move on the way a storm blows through.. never stay but then again I might

Struggle sometimes to find the words, always sure until I doubt

walk a line until it blurs, build walls too high to climb out

But I'm honest to a fault, it's just who I am..

Wow, what a crazy two weeks.

I'm finally starting to feel alive again, but ironically it's because of how tired I've ended up being after these last few weeks. It's strange when you can say you miss getting through the day on little sleep, is it not? But that's how I've always operated at my best. Having a lot on my mind, feeling the pressure of so many things to do in a short period of time, and doing whatever I want to with no regard for time, the need to rest for the next task, or the need to rest to survive.

I used to be such an emotional person. I would put so much stock into everything I did. It's a strange concept to some when they see how I am quite the opposite these days. There's hardly any emotion to anything I do. Most ask the typical questions, and I simply shrug my shoulders and give a nonchalant answer. I live pretty laid back. I get done what needs done, I do what I do in the night life, and I live to out-do myself from the night before. It is this self-reflection that I hope to be able to write more about in the coming months.

An old tv personality used to shout into a microphone, "the only thing that's for sure, is that nothing's for sure." I do know one thing though- that right now, I love my life. As for the many interchangeable variables that I encounter here and there, that's just what they are. A part of my life that is destined to come and go. It's how I stay on top of things, how I keep sharp and continue to keep things feeling fresh. Honestly at this point in my life, I don't see how I could ever change or give that up.