Too outspoken?

There are many times throughout each week where I think to myself that I might be too outspoken; that I speak my mind a little too honestly and too often.

But then there are some nights where I speak out about something that's really affecting me inside, and I feel like it's somewhat justified.

I wish I could communicate things better. I wish I knew why people react the way they do, why they shy away like they do. Especially when someone thinks the world of you. I don't understand the need to be hesitant in certain situations. Maybe I'm over-reacting. Although it seems that the same story plays again and again. Back and forth and back and forth with re-assuring small-talk until everyone is comfortable enough to continue with what is trying to be accomplished. I don't get the need to be re-assured. It's not an awkward thing.

It just makes me wonder what else would be too "awkward" that someone couldn't go through with something. Like, moving to a new city. Or state.

We're all adults now. It's okay to accept that in our minds and live a little, okay to change things up a bit from time to time.

I had a few years to myself to get extremely comfortable with my lifestyle, and to meet othe lers who lived their lives the same way. I'm finding that it's hard for me to patient with those who are hesitant and less out-going.

Christmas Shopping: The Final Chapter

Well over $300 later, my Christmas shopping is finally done. I realize that is a small sum compared to most, but it's really more than I should have spent considering everything that's going on right now. That's alright though.

I hope.

Definitely looking forward to seeing family for an extended period of time instead of just a few hours, and seriously ready for some time off. Today was.. 37 days in a row that I've worked? Yeah. It is feeling a little ridiculous at this point. Three days off is going to feel like three weeks off, but ultimately will fly by like three hours.

At any rate, It will be great to just relax.

So ready to say goodbye

I can't think of a time since I moved to Columbus that I've been more bummed about not living on the coast. It's like the city, Crew, Rachael, soccer, and friends occupied my mind these two years. I always have someone to talk to or somewhere I can go except on the nights and in the moments where I need someone most, such as now.

I'm someone who has always been dreaming ahead about where I'm going. It's funny. While in college I had said that the plan would be to find a good job in Columbus and work here 2-3 years and then move on. Here I am nearing that two year point and I'm thinking about it more than ever.

While most people my age are saying to themselves 'wow. I'm in my mid-twenties. I better find some love and have some kids because that's all that is left to do,' I am busy looking at apartments in SC and USVI, job openings, and partying myself to a blackout every weekend. I am sick of being here and fed up with waiting. Realistically, it will be ateast one or two years before I can make the move. With that in mind, it wouldn't hurt to try to find a supervisor or management position somewhere here in Columbus.

Unfortunately until this Kansas City mess is cleared up, I can't even begin to plan anything out.

Would things be fine if I just stayed in Ohio forever? Yeah. Everything points to me living a pretty fun, normal life with friends and family if I would settle here. But that is not me. I've become so committed to my dreams that staying in Ohio would be an eternal failure in my subconscious, and I don't think I would ever be truly happy. However, I am accepting of the current factors in my life and how complicating they have become.

With that being said, I would leave tonight without any second thoughts. If I could.

Adding to the work load, some Italiano

Tonight marked my first night back into the world of Arby's. A couple training videos, a walk-thru of the store, and getting the paperwork done. I'm pretty stoked to have some extra cash start flowing in. The only thing left is to figure out just exactly how many hours I'll be working. I obviously cannot work days (Hilton: M-F, 9:30-6), so it's weekday nights and weekends. We'll see.

Buon giorno. Finally got back to the grind on learning the second language- Italian. Even now while I scrive, I'm thinking I'm going to nail this. I got 3 times farther tonight alone than I ever did before my laptop crashed.

Only one thing left to do, and I'll put it in english - goodnight.

Voting Day: Many victories to Ohio

The big win tonight, obviously, is the defeat of Issue 2. I cannot wait to see the "outrage" of SB5's supporters. This is an awesome result for the state.

Columbus-wise, I believe the re-election of Mayor Michael Coleman is another win. Of course, I'm knew to the city, but I've had many small conversations with the man and can say he is a very likable guy and always takes time to hear you out.

The defeat of Issue 3 is another win. If the issue had won, Ohioans would have been required by law to purchase health insurance or face fines. Tonight, I'm proud to be an Ohioan.

While we're on political stuff, Herman Cain is a complete moron. Dude.. quit lying.

Tonight, I spent some time studying. Wait, what?

That's right. Back to the books. It's funny how certain paragraph's can take you back to exact conversations that occured over 4 years ago.

I think about Rachael's friends from Mercy and how they had all been in the same class.

What happened to my class? We were all so close at one point. Maybe it's the fact that we all went and did completely random things after graduation, therefore losing all common ground. Though, I thought we were more than that.

Somewhat saddening.

Today's phone calls. Personal calls, that is

I was left a number of voice-mails today. Ranging from family to my lawyer.

Of the more interesting messages, there was: Messages from friends wondering where I was on Saturday night, the leasing office here at WR, and a call that could seriously change things up.

I must admit that when it came to the latter of those mentioned, I had already given up. Don't get me wrong, things are alright the way they are. Recently, I've seen some bright promise for change. But there's a saying, "too little, too late." If this pans out, do I call the audible? Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will keep these fingers crossed and grind it out. New shoes should be here soon, and I'm almost caught on Dexter. On that note, time for some more catching up.

New kicks be on the way

Couldn't have taken much longer to get confirmation on this, but my new Chucks will be here Monday or Tuesday. Ready to retire the Shox, once and for all!

Hmm. I, think, they are for men.. hmm.

Today was a great day, started off with..

..sleeping in. Something I don't get to do often, even on the weekends. Right around noon my mom and grandma arrived to my apartment. It was the first time they had been here since moving day. I have to say it was really great to see them. We hung out at my place for a little while before having some breakfast at Bob Evans.

After breakfast we made our way over to Highbanks Metro Park. I have been there a few times already, but some of the trails are so impressive that I really wanted them to see it. Plus, my grandma had always talked about going to the park "on 23" in the fall. She loves to see the leaves as they change. We had a great 2.5 mile walk before we left to spend some time at Easton.

My mom did some bargain shopping at Lucky, then we ordered up some pasta bowls at Piada. She had to stock up on Halloween supplies for the dance studio, so we stopped by Target after eating. I drove them over to Graeters in Worthington for their ice cream before returning to my place.

It was such a great day with them. Beautiful weather, too. Cannot wait until they visit again!

Irish fall to the Trojans

So much hype. So many new and unusual factors involved around the game tonight-

The first night game at South Bend in over 20 years.

New helmets.

Rally towels.

Music being blared through the PA before key plays.

But it was not enough. Notre Dame gave up three turnovers and shot themselves in the foot. All Dayne Crist had to do was get a TD. ND was on the USC 1-yard line, and he fumbles. I swear. Does he ever want to play football ever again after college? I think Crist has mentally checked out of South Bend. He should not have been put in, strong arm or not.

Sigh. One day..

50 exotic animals escape Zanesville farm

This news is a few days old now, but certainly worth noting.

An exotic animal collector/owner/whatever in Zanesville decided to open all gates and pens on his large farm, and then killed himself. Emergency operators received calls about bears and lions. The next door neighbors saw a tiger chasing a horse. Officers were given the order to shoot all animals on sight. Among the forty-some animals killed by Sheriff deputies were: 9 male lions, 8 lionesses, a baboon, a couple wolves, a couple bears, and.. 18 tigers.

A very tragic situation. Although I'm all about finding diplomatic and humane situations to resolve incidents like this, you cannot blame the Sheriff for ordering the animals to be shot. If they had waited until the next morning, who knows where these predators would have ended up. Backyards, city streets, parks, the list is endless. I disagree with those who immediately bashed the department. Some believe they treated this as a free "big-game hunt" and drove around joy-riding and popping shots drive-by style on these poor creatures. I'm one the biggest animal lovers you'll ever find, but the right order was given.

Does animal life have the same importance as human-life? Absolutely. But this could have been a battle. As far as the officers knew, these animals wouldn't think twice about attacking. Turns out that mankind has the upper hand in these kind of situations. It is nature. Nature played out.

Poor creatures. What a sad day.

Follow-up

Turns out I didn't have to drive to Kansas City.

My lawyer appeared and had the date pushed back to November 8th. She will appear for me in court that day as well. Only a few more weeks.

The cycle of last year continues, only this time hopefully I'll land more financially well-off.

Tomorrow's the day..

I suppose I will find out sometime between 9:00am and 3:00pm if I have to up and leave for Kansas City.

As of now, I have a court date at 8:00am on Tuesday. My lawyer at Schlimmer Law had said that we could probably get it moved to a later date, and that there's a good chance I still wouldn't even have to go. I hope that's true.

We will see.

Some of my favorite art.. Heather Brown

Check out the website of Heather Brown. Ms. Brown is an artist from Oahu's North Shore. I absolutely love her work, which I was introduced to in 2009 when on the island.

Please, please browse the site. Prints are $40.

9/28: Kansas City: Soccer, Jail, and Karaoke

Let's just say we gave Kansas City our best, and in most cases, KC got the better of us.

We left Columbus around 9:30pm. After road delays, scratching letters of "Bingo" lottery tickets, chugging 32oz Gatorade's in under a minute, and many other harmless shenanigans, we arrived to the Embassy Suites near Kansas City International Airport. We checked in and immediately checked out the breakfast buffet before crashing for a few hours. I decided to go for a swim and test out the hot tub. I enjoyed the water for an hour or so until we took the other guys to their hotel, the Marriott downtown. We later would meet up at Johnny's Tavern, just one of many bars and restaurants in the Power & Light District.

After hours of drinking and arcade games, we ordered up two cabs and made our way to LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. We settled into our seats in section 123 and took in the sights of what was supposed to be the most advanced soccer stadium in the country. They must have been growing tired of us Crew fans in the second half, because the cops were suddenly completely intolerable of anything we did. This includes me calling one a renta-cop as they tried to get me to show my ID. One thing lead to another, and I got mouthy with them. They got mouthy with me.

My wallet fell to the group and I stepped on it to prevent it from being kicked around in the crowd. Next thing I know, I'm on the ground being restrained."It's gonna be $20,000 to get yourself out! You're not goin back to Ohio anytime soon!" Exact words from the cop who caused my face to have a giant crater by my eye, cut on the back of my head, and numbness in my hand almost two weeks later.I spent what was probably about three hours in a Kansas City jail that night. And what's the first thing I did when I got out? Why, sang karaoke of course!

I have a court date on October 18th at 8am. Anyone down for a road trip?The next morning we made it back to the Embassy around 930am. We got Nick and doubled back to downtown to pick up the other guys.It was a long and insane drive home. There were many times I wondered if we would make it back. I'd still do it all again.

Except the getting arrested part. Sad to think that it could've been my last Crew game for awhile. I guess it was a fitting trip for a game that will possibly lead to us missing the playoffs.

I hate Kansas City.

One Beach

Awesome video. If I were me, I'd love it. If I were you, I'd check it out.

Vacation 2011, Part 3: Virginia, Shenandoah National Park

We arrived to Rachael's family's house in King George, Virginia, around 8:30. And they had steaks, mashed potatoes, corn, and drinks ready for us! They were so nice. The views from their patio of the hills and river were amazing. We watched some Monday Night Football (Giants v Rams) as we had some drinks.

After a good night of sleep, we got up the next morning and had lunch at Friday's. We hit the road around 2:30.

During the drive, I started noticing signs for Shenandoah National Park. When I saw the "Next Right" sign, I almost instinctively had to pull off. I'm pretty sure Rachael was a little skeptical and slightly annoyed with my adventurous needs, but who knows when you'll get another chance to do anything. So we ventured on to the park's southern entrance and drove about 20 miles along the Skyline Drive. I really want to go back, there were things we didn't get to see.

In the end, I got back to Columbus around 2am. It was a great trip, and I can't wait for another one.

Vacation 2011, Part 2: Myrtle Beach

Day 1, Saturday

We arrived in Myrtle around 1:30pm. The weather was cloudy, and rain had sprinkled down in some areas as we drove east on 501. We checked into our resort, the Springmaid Beach Resort. Saturday was a cloudy day and chilly night. We stopped by Broadway for a few to walk around and buy some pralines for my grandma. Then we headed down to the new boardwalk and had some drink's at the Landshark Bar & Grill (Jimmy Buffett's newest addition to his arsenal). We picked up a pizza from Domino's then went back to the hotel around 2:30am.

Day 2, Sunday

I woke up to the sound of the waves around 7:30am. Not much rest, I know. I threw on my sandals and walked down to the car to grab something. Stopping by the edge of the parking lot on my way back to watch the sun dangling over the water. We then went down and had the awesome breakfast buffet and checked out some of the other pools.

Rachael and I did some mini golfing, and she won the first round! Ahh. We did some shopping at the touristy beach shops until the sun came out. We raced back to the hotel and hurried down to the pool. The sun came and went for about a half hour before coming out for a solid three hours. Rachael got to do some body surfing which was fun to watch! We jumped around in the waves for awhile, took some pics at the pier, and then it was time for the mini-golf rematch. The rematch ended in a 45-45 tie! We used our free $20 worth of tokens at the resort arcade and Rachael hit the jackpot, winning like 500 tickets! She won a ton of candy.

We then made our way over to Murrell's Inlet to have one of the more unimpressive dinners that I've had at Creek Ratz. But still a wonderful night!

Day 3, Monday

We finished up some shopping and stopped by the Surfside Holiday Inn to drop some belongings off to Vicki Davis, whom I used to work with here at the Hilton Columbus. We had a quick rubber-match at Cancun Lagoon, with Rachael winning the final round and going home as champ. We had to make one more quick stop at Broadway to get the pralines, then set out on our way up I-95 towards Virginia.

Vacation 2011, Part 1: New River Gorge and Mooresville, NC

Vaca '11 started out by leaving Rachael's at 7am. We made our way down that familiar I-77 and around four hours later found ourselves driving through the old coal towns of West Virginia. By looking at the pic of the map I've uploaded, you see three stars. The first star is Kanawha Falls. The second star denotes Hawk's Nest State Park, and the third star marks the New River Gorge. All awesome stops as we drove through the old towns of Alloy, Falls View, and Kanawha Falls.


The gorge and West Virginia was left behind just as quickly as we had experienced it. Next stop would be Mooresville, North Carolina, to have dinner with my cousins and spend the night at their house. We had dinner at J.J. Wasabi's in downtown Mooresville. The next morning we were up by 8am and back on the road. Next stop, the beach

Quite a lot to catch up on, so our schedule is..

Tonight I'll blog about my recent trip to Myrtle Beach. Keep in mind that this trip happened back in mid-September. But I'll try to post a few pics as I recap.

Tomorrow night, I will blog about the road trip to Kansas City to watch Columbus take on KC. This will be the only place I officially talk about what went down that night in Livestrong Sporting Park, so look for a very in-depth post.

Following that we will recap events that have happened in the past few days.

I like to keep things as organized as possible. Best way to ensure that I look back on this blog with confidence is to back track all the way to September 16.

On we go.

New apartment is looking good

Am excited to post some pictures on here soon. I couldn't have imagined it coming together much better. And it's... clean! I'm so happy to be living with someone that doesn't think keeping things clean and tidy are far out concepts. I no longer have to feel like those around me do not give a damn about anything.

I understand work sucks and the need to just kick back and relax. But excuses aside, we are 25 years old. Time to stop acting like you live in a frat house.

It just amazes me. All the times I was made to feel like I was the one with the foreign approach to living. Like asking to have dirty dishes washed was too much. Asking to not have fast food bags and wrappers on the floor or left on the tables for weeks at at time, was too much. Asking to not have empty water bottles on the floor, or used toilet paper rolls, was too much. In the end, I almost feel bad for them. For being at this age and not understanding any of this.

But things are finally back on the up side. I'm so happy with this.

Sitting in bed with my window open. This weekend is the move..

It's a quiet, peaceful night outside. The crickets are lively. It's nice to sit still.

Moving preparations have almost come full-circle. So far, my plan has been executed to near perfection. Each day I have done a little more. Boxing up food, personal displays from atop my dresser, clothes, and finally boxing up books and lining everything up to be shipped out tomorrow.

I am pleased with how swift the move will be. If I'm able to pick up my keys tomorrow after work, I can get 95% of everything moved over there before I wake up Saturday. That would be a huge plus and ensures that I can rest my key on the dining ta-- er, I mean the book shelf, early on Saturday afternoon and probably still make it somewhere to watch Notre Dame and USF.

My drapes have been taken down, and I have fixed what needed to be fixed. All that will remain on Saturday will be my couch, bed, a lamp or two, and dining table.

170: Frustration, packing, and insomnia

The past two days I have been debating just what it is that gets me in such frustrated moods. I have begun to analyze myself after each moment of losing my cool. Thinking what I would do if I saw someone else doing the same thing, am I in the right/wrong, and does it really help anything.

I have found, shockingly, that in most cases the answer to these questions is no.

I have accomplished a decent amount of packing, considering I do not move until Saturday and it's only Wednesday. I look to wrap a lot of stuff up Thursday night.

This not sleeping until 1:30-2:30 thing has to stop. Hopefully once settled into the new place I can begin to relax.

Getting professional!

So now that the car, apartment, and vacation are all set. I am now in what I will start calling "Phase Four" of my 2011 self-rebuilding project.on

I have been at the Hilton for a year now, and I have been somewhat conservative and reserved in getting to know everyone in the other departments. I feel that this has set me back in that everyone has such diverse hospitality backgrounds and, more importantly, a wide range of contacts in the industry. Time to network.

After seeing LinkedIn start to really take off, I decided to take my profile more seriously. The training tools and newsletters that they provide turn out to be very useful. If I'm going to progress on my Hilton experience, now is the time to put some weight on the accelerator.

My LinkedIn profile

Tonight I am all excited about this next part of getting life back to a healthy balance of fun and productiveness, but in reality this will not start until moving into the new apartment and getting some sort of net access set up. So this could be on standby for a few more weeks, but it's about to get serious!

Reset button

In just a few weeks I will be changing living arrangements. This will definitely be a new experience, and one that I welcome with open arms and am anxious to see begin.

There are many reasons why I have been looking for a new place since April/May. Many of those reasons can be read on this blog if you look at past posts. Yet, I'm confident that everyone will walk away and be able to go out and have drinks the next week. In fact, that is precisely what part of this is about. With what I've seen over the last year, it's made it hard for myself to justify hanging out when I have been so down over what this apartment became. I'm confident that it's the same on the other end. This is good for everyone involved.

This also presents an opportunity to expand on new friendships and conquer other areas of Columbus that I have not explored thus far. It's maybe a little untraditional, definitely a learning experience, but I am optimistic that this will be a much better arrangement.

I've been more than prepared for months upon months now. I'm not looking to divulge too many details at this time, but I am looking forward to seeing this play out.

2 nights in MB for $169!

Through livingsocial, Rachael and I just booked a couple nights in Myrtle Beach at the Springmaid Beach Resort.

This $169 deal ($195 with tax), includes:

• Oceanfront room view
• Breakfast buffet each morning
• Two All-day fishing passes on the Springmaid Pier
• Two All-day mini-golf passes
• $20 in arcade adventures
• $40 worth of coupons for surrounding businesses.

This is great on SO many levels. Obviously, number one, we get to go to the

beach. Number two, all of this stuff being included at a great location . Three, we are right betwe

en the grand strand of MB and Surfside/Murrell's Inlet!

I also eyed some beach soccer on this list of activities. I should probably pay attention to the fact that these activities appear to be for children. Though when has that ever stopped me?

Will hopefully have this booked and taken care of by tomorrow morning. All that is left is to determine if I will be taking a vacation day on Friday or Monday. Broadway, Sandbunker, Mako's, Murrell's Inlet, Angelo's, and the rest of Horry County.. here we come! In a time with so much negativity, this is one of the few positives!

End of the road

In late 2005 she became mine. On Saturday, 8/6/2011, I gave her up.

My '03 Ford Escape served me well over the last five and a half years. Daytona Beach, the mountains of North Carolina, Charlotte, Grand Rapids, Chicago, Panama City Beach, West Virginia. Her last big trip being, appropriately, Myrtle Beach.

I made the trip to North Carolina, who knows, atleast twelve times. While working at Arby's in Bluffton I would get off work, go home and pack some belongings, and immediately leave for NC. Most of the time this was between 1:00 and 2:00AM. So I would arrive just as the sun was coming up on Saturday. I-77 become a home away from home. Learning the hard way that the 60mph speed limit through Charleston is heavily enforced, the familiar faces at the toll booths along the WV turnpike, stopping at the travel plaza in Beckley for Sbarro's or Burger King, looking out over all the lit-up small towns while passing through Fancy Gap. Then of course, knowing NC-421 was only a few more miles ahead. Or would I hit 64/90 at Statesville? Few people can say they've done what I've done; the Escape was my partner through it all. A few notable memories:

Driving on the beach in Daytona and driving through St. Augustine, Florida along A1A.

There is no way I can ever forget all of those trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visiting Boone, NC, multiple times, and descending down switch-back roads to a basin between mountains where the sun had just begun to set over a lake. Then picking up four stranded hikers on the way back up.

The lake in Hickory, NC.

Trips to Charlotte for four separate concerts. As well as a stop to Carowinds.

Me and two friends sleeping in the Escape for two nights in a Walmart parking lot in Panama City.

If I had to get away while still living in Bluffton, I would drive out of town or to truck-stops and sleep in the back.

Definitely provided many crazy nights here in Columbus. Through Crew matches, downtown adventures, and had been a way for me to stay somewhat sane through the hard times here. Some of these stories will never be re-told.

Last year over Labor Day the Escape took a friend and I to my favorite place in the States: the coast of South Carolina. The place that has shaped most things about me today, as well as my plans for the future. She couldn't make it back though. The radiator and thermostat both blowing out on the drive back through South Carolina. Though she continued on before finally quitting just south of Statesville and stranding us there (with family, luckily) for a day. She was never the same after that.

It might be a clever name for a popular mid-sized SUV model, but that Escape was literally my escape for so many years. I don't really consider this the closing of a chapter in the book that is my life, although that is the more fitting of analogies. I think of it more as eighty or ninety pages filled with short, incomplete thoughts, stories of realized and unrealized dreams, and lengthy paragraphs of extremely detailed run-on sentences.

Those who know me will tell you that is exactly how my mind works and communicates these days. I guess we know where credit is due. That car let me escape reality, and ultimately create a reality that is uniquely mine.

172,157. Goodbye, my friend.

So much for that idea.. , more car trouble, USMNT, and KING

So I viewed the place at Iuka today. For the price and the conditions, I think I'll pass. Great location though. Back to the drawing board. I'm so happy to have so many options. Out of all the things worrying me, this search is the least of them!

On my drive back to Easton, my car overheated on the Hudson street overpass over 71. I pulled into the Shell station and let it cool off. Of course this was only after being yelled and sworn at for a few minutes while it cooled down in the inside left turn lane on Hudson. Hah. Might be looking at new Escapes with leasing options this weekend. Leasing... ugh. Let's recap my car troubles: Left headlight out, antenna ripped off, window off-track again, engine light on again, overheating randomly (and sounding like an airplane), 6-disc changer is jammed, running board deteriorating, strange noise coming from the right rear wheel. Hmm.

Jurgen Klinsmann was introduced today as the new head coach for the national team. I had mixed thoughts, but the overwhelming feeling of a fresh new start has over-taken me. I'm now on board!

O.A.R.'s new album, KING, comes out on Tuesday. Am I excited? Yes. This appears that it will pick up where they left off after In Between Now and Then, but still maintaining some of that refined sound that they've evolved into over the years. Pre-ordered it? Yep.

It's starting to storm. Lightning was approaching as I wandered around outside about thirty minutes ago. I might attempt to drive back to Bluff tonight to see the fam for the weekend. Let's hope I make it.

Future of US Soccer > Bob Bradley

Today, USSF announced that Bob Bradley was "relieved of his duties" as USMNT head coach. Effective immediately.

After reading/hearing much commentary from US Soccer, Grant Wahl, Lalas, MLS, etc, I believe this is the first signal of a entire "overhaul" of the US system. Something that has been needed for quite some time. Personally, I am biting my nails hoping that Jurgen Klinnsman is not the only option. Sunil said something along the lines that we would "not be surprised" by the decision. Ugh.

If Sunil and Co. were disappointed after the World Cup, why did we not can Bradley at that point? Why let him use the same stale approach in the Gold Cup? Why not ax him immediately after the Gold Cup? Just confusing. Seems to really show how unorganized US Soccer is, no wonder MLS is the same way.

Awaiting tomorrow's answers..

Something I've been meaning to share..

I know a lot of my friends have been in the know about this for awhile, and I've wanted one since they first showed up. Loving this creativity - Portman Kunis United FC

Night of tunes

So after a crazy assault on iTunes tonight, I've added some much needed songs to my library. I can't believe it has been months since I've obtained new music!

Mumford and Sons, STP, Soundgarden, "Sublime" With Rome, Seether, LMFAO, Eric Hutchinson, Drowning Pool, All Time Low, and this new Bad Meets Evil thing with Eminem. I'm not sure what the latter is really all about, but the song "Lighters" featuring Bruno Mars just might be my favorite Shady song of all time. I def recommend a listen. And as much as I hate to say it, where was Taylor Swift's lyrical insight like five years ago? Ugh. Just lost all street cred. I guess I'll deal.

Put an extra five minutes of effort into something

and it will save someone else 15 minutes of work. This was something instilled in me quite some time ago. I find it absolutely insane how lazy some people can be. How can getting by in life by doing the bare minimum be satisfying? Well at any rate, this past year has taught me a lot about that variety of human being.

No matter where you go, you can see people just slackin' through whatever it is they are doing. It's amazing that when you do something and take care of the task comprehensively, that you can save the next person from having to do ten, fifteen, maybe twenty minutes of work.

Thanks to this past year, this is just one more lesson that I can recognize as learned. I would not change a thing about myself or take back one decision I've made or word that I've said.

Exciting things up ahead!

With all the things that have continued to keep me down over the last few months, it has been hard at times to really be upbeat and positive about life. But I've come to grips with a lot, and am just biding my time. Some plans we're set all the way back in May, and I think it's hilarious that some think that it's there iron fist that rules and lays down the law. What a child. It makes the next phase that much sweeter.

I was walking the trails at Highbanks Metro Park, which I was surprisingly impressed with, and had a few key thoughts for the day:

1. I have less than two months until I am out of this hell. Once out, I will not have to live in inconsiderate filth anymore. I can enjoy life without the daily gay jokes and insinuations of those who have nothing better to say to me because they take no legitimate interest in maintaining any relationship.
2. I will, for the first time, feel like I have my own place. This past year was a joke. If they weren't ready to have a third person move in and readily respect that person as a third roommate, let alone a life-long friend, then they shouldn't have been down for it in the first place.
3. There are so many songs that help shape our life or take us back to a place or memory. What songs have I missed along the way that would have changed something? It's not just songs. I'm fully confident that where I am is where I'm supposed to be. At this very moment, I'm right on track. What does that mean for tomorrow? I'm confident that it will be the right road, but I'm not confident in which road that will be.

At any rate, I'm thankful that I have met the great people that I have. I'm thankful for the family that has shown me a standard of living that others can respect. Not one to be embarrassed of or one that makes guests feel awkward as they enter a place full of trash and question the intelligence of those who reside there. I'm looking forward to change, looking forward to being happy.

Justified

Being the nice guy that I am under all the asshole things I do, I would almost feel uncomfortable/bad for the way I stand up for what I believe is right and just when it comes to the apartment which I call home and how those with superiority complexes believe they can defy anything or anyone just because their name is 1/3 of a lease.

But then I share the situation with everyone I know, and they cannot believe the shit I have to put up with. Or that potential future mates come over and think that I am a contributor of the overall mess that 4845 Birm B ultimately is. I've been dormant for awhile, but have to get some things off my chest.

I understand it's family that's moving in or staying for a few days, but it's not too god damn hard to extend the courtesy of at least asking for an opinion on it or if it's not a problem. And when I simply, calmly, and diplomatically suggest that such a courtesy would be appreciated, I get the whole typical attitude from him where he immediately goes back to being a teenager with the whole 'I can do whatever I want'/'I know and rule all' routine that everyone so often sees when anything argumentative arises with him.

"Oh hey, by the way, my sister is moving in for spring quarter."

Ha. Strange. When I asked her, she said the plan was for her to stay permanently. So nice of you to not even simply ask if it was an issue. But of course, asking would mean that you're not a manly man who is tough and badass and can't show vulnerability in anyway. We wouldn't want that now, would we?

What if I wanted to mention to the leasing office that we have two illegal occupants staying in our unit? Which brings up another point. If my brother were to move in so he could attend college here in Columbus, I would make the following clear: 1) If you're going to school, then you need to have fun but concentrate on the work. 2) Clean up after yourself... you're living here for free and you are still considered a guest here. 3) If school gets to be too much and you take some time off, then it's time to either go back home or get a job and help with rent or other costs.

Do you think any of these would be brought up or mentioned as incentives or showing that you care or are looking out? Hell no. Empty orange juice and water bottles lay around. Wrappers, caps, random papers laying around for weeks are usual sights. Her scrubs sat on a chair for over a month and a half. Groceries piled in a corner of the living room (when we had ants) instead of being put away properly. Not to mention dirty plates, bowls, cups (often moldy) that just get left out for eternity.

There have been two plates that have been sporting bread crust and crumbs for over two weeks now in our living room. Absolutely pathetic. Disrespectful, disgusting, immature, and outright pathetic.

But yet, this all makes me the bad guy. The fact that I would rather live in a nice, clean, tidy, mold-free apartment is too much for some to handle. Apparently that must have been the norm in some environments.Sure we all have some good times collectively, and some nights are incredibly fun; the types of nights with my friends which I live for. With that being said, while the Comfort Inn takes the title of a legit living nightmare, the living arrangements here have been anything but enjoyable.

So it's back to the drawing board, and the past year has shown me more than ever that I'm respectful and thankful of the way in which I was raised.

Busy? Yeah.. x10. Every weekend on the calendar is marked

The last month has been rather busy, almost to the extent of me having no time on my hands to do anything but what has been directly in front of me. Hawai'i, traveling to NY, Taylor Swift, being sick, driving to Akron, Bluffton, Akron, back to Columbus. And this weekend, it's back to Bluffton again as my old Arby's friends Kevin Farmer and Kristyn Kirchner get married. It's strange. I have no desire to even entertain the thought of marriage, yet I know the road that is my life has many curves, falling rocks, detours, and construction up ahead. Hah, but even after saying that I still can't see myself giving into that idea.. I want to see that certain things in my life get rearranged. For a long, long time I have had a vision of what surrounds me in ten years, and absolutely nothing will stop that from becoming reality.

So yeah, if you haven't done so yet, you should scroll down a lil and definitely read up on my New York and Hawai'i recaps. I've been going back and reading past posts a lot lately on this blog, and must say I'm proud of the "feature posts" and "thoughts" posts (see the labels section to the right and those links). So much good shit over the past two years. I'm so glad I've written down my ideals and thoughts on life, love, and the destinations that show what I believe is the meaning of each, and what brings us to and from them.

I've had a lot to write about lately but haven't found the time. I plan on making up for lost time over the next few weeks so keep checking back, and in the meantime, take a look back though some of the older posts. I do, all the time.

New Jersey/NYC, Part 2: The match

The match seemed to be a quick one. Our defensive woes within the 10th minute continued in Harrison, with Mehdi Balouchy scoring in the 9th minute to give RBNY a 1-0 lead. Andres Mendoza missed two of the easiest chances that I have seen a professional be presented with. His effort justifying the label that Crew nation has applied to him. How do you not put those in the net? To add to his mystique, after his blown attempt at a header he puts his hands up in the air as if it's not his fault, but the fault of the creative and accurate service from Eddie Gaven.

Lackluster play from both sides entertained us through the 90th before Rich Balchan jolted us to life in the 91st, equalizing the match at 1-1. Columbus ultimately crept out of Red Bull Arena with the 1-1 result. While both teams struggled on the field, there is still a larger picture to consider. It has been thought that New York and LA are the clubs that will easily sprint the entire race and meet up in the final, however New York looked tired uninspired. Figure that in along with their recent trend of earning 1 point in matches and it's clear to see that RBNY might not be the club that many have thought them to be.

The Crew should take more from this match than what was seen on the pitch. I think the race for the East just eased up on us. A little.

Afterwards a number of us made a trip down to Times Square where we grabbed some awesome burgers at Connolly's Pub, antagonized cab drivers, and sang loud and proud about somebody stealing our sombrero. After one of the more crazy and expensive cab rides in my life ($78), we returned back to the Hampton Inn. All there was left to do was crash. Crash as hard as we could for four hours before stepping back onto the bus.

Mendoza is trash. Glad to see these quotes from RW.

Brian Bliss on the matter:

"Between him and the coach, his teammates and the fan base, there seems to be incident around every corner he turns. How much can you put up with for the quality he brings? Somewhere there is a tipping point. I'm not sure where it is, but I'm sure we're getting close."

I plan on following Cunningham's advice and supporting Mendoza for the remainder of his time here, but I'd be lying if I said I'd be disappointed if he's let go after this season.

New Jersey/NYC, Part 1: Traveling by bus to watch the Crew play RBNY

June 4, 2011, 5:00am- Brock and I arrive to Crew Stadium with little to no sleep to board a bus that was about to endure eight hours of the road. I'm already feeling a little sick just from nerves and not eating too much, so I exit the bus and throw up continuously. I think I get 10 points for being the first on the trip to lose their stomach. We intended to get some sleep, but Talladega Nights began playing loud and clear before we had even merged onto I-71.

But that's okay, we play for keeps.

Our arrival at the Hampton Inn at 2:45 seemed to catch the front desk staff off-guard, and when I say "off-guard" I mean completely blindsided them.

Check-in time? 3pm. Rooms vacant and ready at 2:50? Zero. But that's the norm with any group, and the staff did a great job of organizing quickly and getting us checked in. Housekeeping must have partied it up Friday night. No worries.

Once checked-in and geared up, some bottles were passed around and we commenced the walk down to O'Donnell's pub where we found a Crew supporters scarf hanging in the window, and the 2010 HSH member shirt gracing the wall. The old school jukebox was soon reading "OFF" across its classic display (immediately after I inserted $3, no less) and the volume was turned up on Spain vs USA. Too bad that remote control didn't have a way to turn up the US performance. The Carlsberg was flowing often and before long LTA was putting the beat down for us on the street. Flags were waving wildly and two-sticks held high and mighty. We sounded intimidating just walking down the damn street, or atleast we felt it. Plenty of traffic and RBNY fans in bars and business's sticking their heads out car windows or bar doors to watch us pass by. We entered Red Bull Arena to much heat from the most casual of fans, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

Game notes: Heinemann had some close chances. Gaven utilized a clever shot from distance that almost beat Sutton. Our DP missed two goals while unmarked and posted up in spots with a clear advantage over Sutton. Rookie Justin Meram took an opportunity and owned it confidently. Rookie Rich Balchan showed off his soccer IQ by doing what few Crew players have done this year: position yourself and score beautifully.

In the upper sections of RB Arena we were celebrating as you would expect us to be. Flags waving almost uncontrollably, continuing to chant as loudly as we could with what was left of our voices (still not 100% from 5/28), and putting three or four smoke bombs to great use. I hope the guys enjoyed us being there. I hope we still contribute something when showing our passion.

Hawaii 2011: Days 5, 6, 7 and 8

(..after a busy last few days, I had no time to blog from the phone while at the hotel. So I am finishing up from my balcony here in Columbus. Enjoy.)

DAY 5

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to do some surfing down at Kuhio. Thanks 'Big Todd'. We basically used this day as a lazy day and once I finished with the waves we returned to the hotel to get some sun out by the pool and watch some basketball.

DAY 6

We were up early to leave for Hanauma Bay. A plan to stop for breakfast became harder than it had to be. So I think everyone has been told they need to "chill out". Though maybe the one handing out this wisdom should heed their own advice. Instead of picking up some breakfast sandwiches at, say, the two McD's or one BK that we're within five minutes of our hotel, we decided to just wing it and hope to find something on the way. I say we, but I'm not really sure where this strategy originated. Or why, when I questioned this decision, I was told to chill out. But I'm wrong of course. I mean, there was guaranteed to be something along the way, right? And if not, maaan who cares! The snack bar at the park will be open. And if it's not yet, aw well that's no problem. I mean it's not like each individual could be at their own level of hunger, right? Why take all five of us each into consideration? Stupid me.

Hanauma Bay was amazing as usual though. We actually convinced mom to get in the water and do some snorkeling. She was real slow and cautious and first, then she loved it. I was really proud of her! Seeing her so happy that she had done it and liked it had really made me happy and I think that was the best moment of the trip for me. Even hilarious when a 6 ft long eel swam underneath us with its mouth wide open, you could hear the screams under the water as she freaked out. But she was fine. It was really good to be out there with her.

However when returning to the hotel, once again I crossed a horrible, horrible line. As we backed through the full upper level of the cramped parking garage to exit to the street, a small boxy rental pulled up. I got out. "There aren't any spots left," I informed the car behind us. As I got back into our Crown Vic, my dad made a comment (with the window down, they could hear) about the garage attendants just sitting in the booth and chatting away, not paying attention. So as I'm sitting down and shutting the door I shouted in the opposite direction, "maybe if you weren't talking it up and doing your jobs instead!" Was it needed? Not really. Do I need my twenty year old brother to instruct me on how to live my life? Or critique me? Not really. Do you really want everyone else speaking up every time you do or say something that they disagree with? It's like I said directly after that: I'm quiet, quiet, quiet, quiet. I can never be myself around them as it is. Do you think maybe your older brother would mind sitting up front for once? Or your grandmother? Or your mother? And the laughing and calling me a "baby". Oh man. I'm not quite sure how I survive life here without the wisdom and guidance of those who are significantly younger than me. Man it's tough. And then to say to mom "worry about yourself and everything will be just fine," while at dinner one night... how about practicing what you preach. And then dad says "he's going to beat your ass." What the hell? I can't think of anything that would really warrant a father saying that between siblings, let alone when it's the one whining that needs an attitude adjustment. This isn't the kitchen at my parents house, I won't lay down to avoid damaging surroundings or others. But I'm not turning it into a bar parking lot brawl in front of my grandmother. And an adult should know better than to make a comment like that when two brothers are equally at fault. But then again, that was a difference while growing up.

I love them all and would do anything for any of them, but when you treat me like the 'Tom' of the family, I will gladly oblige you with the consequences. All I ask is that everyone take each other into consideration. Look out for your family. Do one or two things throughout the day to make someone elses day easier or make someone smile. And when I see someone not make an effort to do that, yeah I take offense and I in one way or another make it known that I am unhappy with it. Just as my parents did when I was younger. I suppose it's just another difference of growing up.

DAY 7

The last real day. We soaked up all of the sunshine that we possibly could. Surfed some more, did last minute shopping, and had an amazing dinner at the Kona Brewing Company. Sampled some of their local brews and must say I was impressed with the dark beers. Very good stuff. Bed around 11:00.

DAY 8 - LAST DAY

Jessica's graduation was at 3. We soaked up more sun, swam in the pool, checked out of the hotel, and then soaked up more sun. By 1:30 we were on our way to UH Manoa. It was a very casual ceremony but a fun and spirited one. The Governor spoke and before we knew it, we were lowering lei's around Jessica's head as it is tradition here once the ceremony is over. Her graduation party was really fun and loose. Just the type of bar that my friends and I would love back here. Our flight left at 9:40 that night, and I must say that it was a great week on the island, but I was glad to be on my way back home.

Mahalo nui loa, goodnight.

Hawaii 2011: Days Three and Four

DAY THREE

Today actually ended up with decent weather! We had enough sunshine down at Kuhio Beach to lure us to jump in the water. But only moments later.. yep.. rain. So we pitched the beach and returned to the hotel and.. sun! And this time it managed to stay out. Hotel guests and locals alike were at the bar and pool soaking it up. We sadly watched Miami defeat Boston in overtime before going to eat dinner at Margaritaville. I bought a nice polo at a sweet price, and my mom got us a free and huge dessert. Jessica met up with us at a lookout just past Diamondhead and we explored that some. Seeing Diamondhead Beach for the first time, a fav surfing spot on this end of the island. End day 3.

DAY FOUR

By far the most eventful day for us. We had breakfast early at this trendy little breakfast spot- Cafe Kaila. Then headed east and caught some of our first real sun at Kailua (see pic). It was here that we also had the opportunity to swim with some very laid back sea turtles. These honu were pretty chill, and let us hang around them as they ate and surfaced for air.

Next, we stopped by a Buddhist temple that I am certain was used in LOST. After the temple, we continued north to the shrimp trucks and shrimp farms. Watching dad deal with his spicy shrimp was quite entertaining. We stopped by Sharks Cove on our way through Waimea, then hit up some shops while in Haleiwa. Long day. Time for sleep. Free day tomorrow!

Hawaii 2011: Day Two

Our second day, which was more like a first day, began around 6 am. I woke up and stayed in bed for about an hour. Thinking about all of yesterday travels and wondering what the trade winds had planned for us today. As daylight started to break, the clouds began to open up. And it poured and poured.

Around 8 am or so, we made the short walk across Kuhio Ave to Denny's. After some scrambled eggs and Bacon, we all walked through the International Market Place, down through/behind the Sheraton and back east along the shore to Kuhio Beach. That Sheraton was quite impressive. We learn that someone drowned here last night and that search efforts were continuing today. We then head back to our hotel, the Ohana Waikiki West, with the intentions of walking back down to the beach to swim, etc.

But the rain begins again. At this point I figure I might as well catch up on some sleep. A 3 hr nap sounded good.

I awake to a long forgotten sight: the sun. The fam and I all make it out to the pool just in time for some returning cloud coverage. I wandered over to the bar and immediately recognized the bartender from our last trip here. She says I look familiar and we catch up on lives lately. My second beer was on the house. And then my dad joined me for a few drinks before leaving for dinner.

Mothers Day dinner was at a very exclusive marina restaurant dubbed the Chart House. Service here was excellent. The place was packed, but our food was quick and amazing and our glasses never empty. For dessert, Jessica took us to another local spot: Bubbies. This ice cream shop is a fav on the island.

Back to the hotel again now, and I would walk down the hall to the bar but Trish, the bartender from earlier, has already left. Her vacation is just starting too, but she is heading back to Wisconsin for two weeks.

I actually made it up past 10pm tonight (last night I was done at 8). I believe this normal sleep time will provide much more fun tomorrow. Besides, most of the hotel guests just showed up today. Now if the weather would just cooperate...

Hawaii 2011: Day One

After flying out of Chicago, connecting in Phoenix, and a total of 17 hours of travel by road and air, I landed on Oahu for the third time in my life.

It's my dads first time here and although we have not done much yet, we've already had some fun. Ate at Cheeseburger down in Waikiki, played some cards, and walked for some ice cream. The weather today pretty much blows, as does the forecast for this week. Not happy about that. but we'll see what tomorrow has in store!

It was great to have everyone together here with my sis. Her graduation is this coming Saturday and we will fly back afterwards. Cinco de Mayo kinda kicked my ass on sleep, so I've had maybe.. 4 hrs of sleep in the last two days. It's 8pm here and everyone else is sleeping. The hotel bar sounds pretty fun (loud) right now. And between that and the tv coverage of the bin Laden killing, I'm finding it hard to rest my eyes. But I will now try my best. Jetlag might throw you off, but it can help you catch up on a hell of a lot of sleep!

From the Ohana Waikiki West here in Honolulu, goodnight.

It seems that..

I wait longer and longer to blog nowadays. And since I will be leaving my computer behind for a few days, I figured we should talk some about my birthday this year, which was two weeks ago.

Rachael, her mom, and sis came to Columbus to do some shopping. So getting to spend the day with them was fun. We made a few stops around the city, and ate dinner in German Village. Before leaving, Rachael surprised me with something I had really wanted from the Tropical Trends store at Polaris. Way too sweet to me! Later that night, the Crew played in D.C. and the Mummerts and I went out to Hooligans to watch the match. Afterwards we made our way to Ruby's for a few more drinks, and then went on a long, unsuccessful bar hop that included Hendoc's, Out-r-Inn, and Nyoh's.

The next morning, I headed back to German Village to meet Jeremy and Ashley for lunch at the Thurman Cafe. The two-hour wait was definitely worth it to eat at one of GV's most well-known restaurants. While eating at Thurmans, my phone lit up with the familiar little green Android guy, but a rather unfamiliar name: Holly Teague. This being the second time my ex has ever called me since breaking up in April 2008. She said she wasn't sure I would answer, and I was slightly surprised by the tone and surprise in her voice. We went on to do some catching up. It was nice. It's possible that the phone call was prompted by me not responding to Christmas or New Years texts from her. Who knows. It was still a pleasant surprise though.

The next weekend (3/26) was a wild night full of soccer, live music, and drinks. It started out at Crew Stadium, where we tied New York 0-0. Then watched the US match at Hooligans before heading over to Flannagan's to watch Brother Believe Me. It was great to see so many friends in one night, and the party continued back at our apartment until about 6am. The next morning was a long one. After driving everyone back to their cars or apartments, I met up with Cody, Eugene, and Brittney at TGI Fridays at Polaris, then went home and somehow managed to stay awake all day.

All in all, a very successful bday week. Full of old friends, new friends, surprises, and a day with someone who continues to surprise me.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day 2011 was a grand evening. I believe it was a very meaningful night for many reasons.

For one, it was the first time that we have really gone out, and gone all out, since I've moved down. It was a no-holds barred night of going places we had intended to and doing what we had intended to. And in my opinion, helped to further seal the patch on what has been a few stressful weeks between certain individuals. The only negative was that I stayed up much later than I should have on an empty stomach and hardly any sleep the night before, and went to bed without throwing my phone on the charger. Therefore missing a substantial portion of the work day, and worrying my co-workers. While the good times of that night will no doubt happen many more times, this missing work thing will not. When I awoke in the late AM, I was very surprised at how late I had overslept even without an alarm. Normally I still wake up around 8:30-9 even on the weekends. But there we're many other surprises as well that I seemed to have missed out on after going to bed. Surprises that no one else could explain to me either.

The Fallout

These surprises we're all quite the mystery to everyone. Such as, how exactly someone managed to get a black eye, how someone's shirt managed to get all dirty on the front with shoe prints on the back, how gravel/stones got neatly lined up next to our balcony door (not the front door. Plus, we're a second floor unit..), how glasses we're broken and wallets lost, and how someone managed to get lost and left behind throughout the night. Some of these will probably be left unanswered for the remainder of eternity (yeah, I know).

I think I might be alright with that.

Wow. What a Tuesday night

Keep in mind, this is last Tuesday. The night started off with a 4-1 loss for the Crew in addition to our 8-2 loss in indoor.

Once at Hooligans, the drinks started coming. Soon we had the idea to head over to the Continent and meet up with other friends. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Shortly after arriving, it was clear that all of our friends were decisively intoxicated. It wasn't long before words fueled other words, and bar staff became pissed with someone. Now, at this bar, apparently minor disagreements are cause to be grabbed by the neck and shoulder and pulled towards the door. This didn't sit well with others in our group, who decided that even the bar GM wouldn't be able to get away with this.

Soon there was shoving, punching, people on the floor. It was a great sight if you're into seeing all hell break loose. Columbus Police were called. Minor scrape to my face and behind the ear, no biggie. But a friend of mine did get a pretty nice gash opened towards the back of his head, so I followed him to Mt. Carmel West to see that he made it there okay.

Wow have I missed Crew season.. and this was just CONCACAF, MLS doesn't start until March 19! It's going to be a fun year.

Columbus til I die! - 614 Magazine, March 1, 2011

March 1, 2011 City Life
Check out this issue of 614 Magazine.

Many articles on the life of a Crew supporter, as well as looking into the whole supporters culture here in Columbus.

Not to mention that I'm included in the cover page photo..even more of a reason to check it out. Do it!

First mobile post from my HTC, crazy Feb weather

Just installed the free Blogger app and I'm seeing what all fun I can have with it. In other words, this is just a test! Check out recent posts. What's up with this thunderstorm occurring three or so days after it snowed wild? I love thunderstorms!

Weekend at home, playing Travel Consultant

The weekend spent back home in Bluffton was a pretty great one. Refreshing to be around people that I care about so much. I've said it on here in posts in the past and I'll say it again: I'm so lucky to have so many people who support and care for me. The past few months there have been many nights where I've made mental lists of all the things I'm lucky to have and people I'm lucky to know. It was great to see them all again, but there's a new face that I am very fortunate to have ran into and I'm anxious to see it again!

When sending out preliminary invites to my friend's show in Columbus on March 26th, one friend replied that they couldn't make it as they would be out of town and mentioned they were going to Tennessee. After which, I was asked about getting discounted hotel rooms through my employee program. So for the last hour I have been researching hotels in Nashville and Memphis, which is also beneficial seeing as I plan on visiting Nashville this summer. Even if the info that I sent them is not used, my efforts won't be wasted.. I now have some ideas for my trip!

HTC Desire - phone's finally here!

The new phone is here! I've yet to have it connected to the network, but so far everything seems to be better than I expected. I've had the Curve since April 09 and figured it was time to do some moving up in the mobile world.

Plenty of good reviews. It sounds like there's not much this phone can't do. 2011 looks to be a very busy year. I think this phone will be aiding me well throughout it!

Sweet 7-page review over at Tech Radar. Takes you through all the screens, messaging, call, contacts, and even some camera shots.

Or.. there's this lengthy video. Be jealous.

Going back to Bluff to update life a little

I've been without my laptop for almost two full months now. So finding it at my parents house in working condition is amazing. Big thanks to my mom for finding a place to fix it up for cheap! It's working awesome.. just needs a new battery still I'd say.

New phone sitting next to me. The htc Desire. Have to say, it's pretty sweet. It's going to be a busy year, and I feel like I'll be able to get a lot done with this phone.

Hoping to meet up with an old friend this weekend. Seems like we could both use a good talk and have some catching up to do. It feels good to be back here!

It's baaaack! Crew VS RSL, CONCACAF Champions League

The 2011 competitive matches have started for the Crew! This past Tuesday was a great time. Seeing everyone together again, the bar being packed out, the new Crew looking good on the pitch.

A 0-0 result is quite decent in my opinion. Definitely looking forward to the 2nd match in Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Afterwards was no exception.. we celebrated like we had won 4-0. I think I got home around.. 4:30 in the morning? Yeah. With work at 9:30.

Can't wait for the MLS season to start!

8-0, UEFA, and this weekend

Monday night league did not go so well. 8-0 beat down, and we played a man up for virtually the entire match. Psyched to play for HSH AC again tomorrow night at Soccer First in Dublin. Come support!

Some pretty exciting UEFA Champions League matches today. People who never try to enjoy real football are seriously missing out.

I can't wait for the weekend to get here. It's shaping up to be a pretty good one! Let's hope Friday goes as planned.

HSH AC - Indoor league at Soccer First, Crew vs RSL

Wow, so HSH AC got off to a 0-2 start in our inaugural session. I missed the second match with my concussion, so I felt pretty helpless about that.

But since returning, I've netted 5 goals in 2 games, and collectively we put big numbers up on both teams during the past two games. This has since moved the Hooligans into 3rd place in our division! Currently with 6 points, we're looking to add to that W column this Tuesday.

On a related HSH note, the CONCACAF visit from Real Salt Lake is just around the corner. Nine days. Will the Crew's "core" hold up? Definitely will be interesting to see what line up we roll out. McCuller's continues to go on and on about how reaching the Club Cup is one of the top goals for the Crew. Hah, let's see if Warzycha reflects those statements with a line up that can win.

2010 Columbus Crew Home Schedule

$$$

Does Paul hate the fact that he never seems to have any money?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjGwusHrOtk

That's supposed to assist in answering the question above, I think.

It is probably time to start looking for a second, night job again. Especially with the insurance switch-over next month. That switch also, most likely, means the dropping of my gym membership with Life Time. Something that I feel has been inevitable for a long time but I just don't want to admit it.

So what can I do? Tax returns will be.. returning.. sometime soon and I'm thinking about throwing it all towards paying off my Escape, depending on how much I bring back. Between four jobs, student loan paid interest, etc, I think I stand a good chance at some decent refunds.

Regardless, the job search shall commence. Stay tuned.

Ever since the power went out...

I've had this sore throat. It's not too enjoyable. We lost power for about two days during the ice storm a couple weeks ago. And it got down to somewhere around 40 degrees in our apartment. I had seven blankets, including an electric one. Um, well, don't count that last one. I didn't expect anything to return until Friday night, but it came back Thursday morning. Just in time too, I had already showered at Life Time once and was about to go straight from work to grab another one.

Anyway, the scratchy feeling in the throat remains.

Man, what a month.. let's talk it

So after getting a concussion back on the 11th, I've rebounded to score 3 goals in my first two games back. Also notching 3 assists. Both teams looking much better in those games! The headaches and loss of vision prevented me from using the computer too much, but it's time to write a little.

Continuing to get to know someone has never been more fun. Atleast I can't remember when it would have been. Especially with someone where I'm not exactly sure how I even know them? I've done a lot since moving down here, but I feel more alive when they're around. I've come to appreciate knowing someone that is so similar to me, and apparently likes the same things. I'm enjoying how this is going!

Other than that, life's pretty much been the same. This weekend is going very slow.

I like it!

My Top 10 of.. 2010

You could say 2010 has been one of my more eventful years to date. From moving to Columbus, to falling in a giant hole in Philly, to the Escape breaking down in North Carolina. Here is a little recap of my top ten greatest hits from 2010!

10) New Years Eve 2009 - Columbus
Does this count? I say it does. It started off by me buying some new white Nike Shox to combo with my suit to wear downtown. Little did I know where all those shoes would walk this year. I took a cab down to Lodge Bar and met up with Jake and Nikki and her friends. Later I got a cab back to Cody and Eugene's apartment to party with friends I hadn't seen in months. If this was the last I was to see of those faces, it was a hell of a way to end a crazy chapter. I then got a cab back to Lodge Bar to discover that Nikki had disappeared. I figured she'd return, so instead of aiding in the search I remained on the dance floor. The girl I was dancing with decide to jump the stage between band members and remove some clothing. Looking back, the night was more like a few hour preview of what 2010 would be like.

9) Creekside Jazz & Blues Fest - Gahanna, Ohio
I was introduced to Creekside by a girl named Katey whom I met while playing beerpong and darts at Ledo's on High St. I enjoyed a few weeks of her company before a conflicting incident one night but she left me with Creekside, which I have gone back to many, many times. One of those times was for the Jazz and Blues Festival. I was amazed at how many fair-ish rides were there, how many vendors, and all the stages. The bars were packed, the food was great, and the music was awesome.

8) Working in German Village - Columbus
While my overall experience at the downtown Comfort Inn was certainly anything but enjoyable, it will always be my first job in the city. Getting to drive downtown for work everyday is something I still miss, as are the quiet night shifts and mornings where I'd watch the sun rise on the city. I still consider the friendship I made out of it to be a good one. I'll never forget all the fun times Tarah and I had. Whether it be going to Arena, using our free tickets from the visitors bureau, or just hanging out. She's the first person I really became close to after moving and no matter how little we actually communicate, I'll always care about her.

7) ComFest - Columbus
I had heard a lot about ComFest, and that means a great variety of opinions on what it was about, who it was for, and who it wasn't for. I found myself there each day, and have to say it was definitely an experience that I will be returning to in years to come.

6) Cedar Point w/ my Fam - Sandusky
Not getting to see my family very much was kind of hard on both parties. But we made up for it with a weekend up at Cedar Point. I think when we are younger we tend to give family the run-around, tend to overlook so much. From our Cruise in 2007 to present day, I've come to more than enjoy who my family are and the minutes spent with them.

5) Getting back into outdoor soccer
Consider another goal of mine achieved. I had been wanting to join an outdoor league for years. With all the time I've spent around the Crew the past few years, I have learned so much more about the game. And getting back on the field was kind of a way for myself to confirm that I had learned some new tricks, and that I had become a better player than I was. I believe I recognized both of these, and I can't wait to continue with the new life that has been breathed into my game! Team-wise we got off to a rather rocky start, but turned things around with what I think was a five game win streak. We barely missed out on the semi-final by losing 1-0 if I remeber correctly. It was a great way to get back into the game in the way that I wanted to.

4) Visiting with old friends
Since moving, I have only been back to Bluffton five, maybe six times. There have been a number of people that have visited me while in Columbus. Showing Jeremy and Ashley around. Having Amber and her badass friends Jaydee and Derrick over. Seeing Kelsey, Kevin, and Kristyn just recently. And randomly running into numerous old Bluffton faces around the city on completely random nights. I'm very appreciative of these people that still value these friendships as much as I do and am happy that we both find the time to see each other. I don't see how some people cannot find the time for these relationships in their lives.

3) Moving to Columbus
After trying for over two years, I finally landed a hotel job. It wasn't the ideal one that I had sought after, but it was something. I was making the move. The first few months were definitely hard, money was low and space was limited in our two bedroom. Making friends and meeting new people was never a problem though, and over a period where I could've just sat and slept everyday away and did nothing with my life, I actually went out and made Columbus to be everything I wanted and expected it to be. Sometimes I wish I could say the same for others, but everyone has their own way about things and I'm finished trying to broaden their horizons.

2) Road Trip to the Beach - Myrtle Beach, SC
It was the Thursday before Labor Day weekend, and I had nothing to do. I was inbetween jobs with some rare extra cash and figured 'eh, maybe I'll leave for the beach tomorrow.' Trust me, it was that spontaneous and that simple. My rediscovered former classmate from college, Lindsay, decided to partner up with me for this trip and we left. No hotel, no idea if the weather would hold up in the wake of the hurricane, and no worries! We got to Myrtle around 11:30am and tore up some breakfast, then immediately sought out some hotels. We ended up with this crappy $49/night shack that happened to be just across the street from the beach and former home, the Landmark. We spent our three afternoons drinking and grabbing as much sunshine and ocean as we could. I talked Lindsay into her first ride on a rollercoaster, and we managed to get dinner at both Broadway at the Beach and down in Murrell's Inlet. We packed a lot into three days on a trip that was decided the day before we left. This trip will most likely always rank in the top 5 of my life. If not for the sheer adventure of it, then definitely for the girl I rediscovered while we were on the coast.

1) Road trip for Crew vs Union - Philadelphia, PA
This takes the top spot for many reasons. Obviously, this was my first Crew away trip. But it symbolized the reaching of a goal that I've had for three years now. The whole thought of moving to Columbus, becoming good friends with the other hooligans, and taking a road trip with them was something that I could only make a reality once moved here. I remember driving to Crew Stadium that morning, where I ended up leaving the windows down on my Escape while we were gone, haha. Our bus parking out in an abandoned school and shop area. My infamous fall into a bottomless hole as I tried to give Grant a target to hit, and the size to which my elbow grew after that fall. Then came the game, where we took care of business 2-1 against the Union. Afterwards we checked into the downtown Crowne Plaza, and made our way to Fado's. Soon after, I met up with my friend Meagan. Her and I took and unexpected dive into a famous Philly fountain when I realized how hot it was outside, and we were completely soaked. Ended up passing out at her apartment where she graciously called me a cab the next morning and had me back at the hotel just before the bus was to leave. As mentioned, my clothes had been soaked.. so I had borrowed some sweats and a t-shirt from her which got me some pretty hilarious looks once back on the bus. I know this was the first of many, many away trips for me.

So there you have it. My 2010 wrapped up in ten standout moments. Believe me, there are many, many more nights that vividly standout in my memory, but some of them are better not mentioned, haha. It really was an absolute wild and crazy, rockstar year for me, and I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. 2011 has some huge shoes to fill, but with the new job, a new Crew season, and new friends, we should give her a good run. Happy New Year.