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.