This post will go through a couple different phases I'm realizing, now that I am considering the material to be covered. My mind is not always linear, for which I sometimes apologize.
My mind first went to this title as I considered my interactions with a few people over the past week. I had a rather trying time, and the conversations I began to have with people in my mind (not out loud) were, at times, laced with profanity and insults. These interactions continued with my family. I was playing a new game with my mom and sister, and the two of them teamed up on me right out of the gate. The game was still fun, and I had to leave early to go to work, but as I was trying to decide how to best approach my family regarding my being upset at their conduct towards me, my thoughts again became aggressive and angry. I don't want to cuss at my mom! Sometimes I want to cuss at my sister, but not usually. It really put into perspective that I was not in a good place.
It also got me thinking about why I behave the way I do. Having studied economics, I have been reinforced in some ideas regarding why people act the way they do. Jeremy Bentham argued that all people like pleasure and hate pain. Adam Smith claimed that by pursuing ones own goals, they would benefit the whole. John Stuart Mill took these ideas one step further. Mill wanted everyone to benefit, but also encouraged our behaviors to not infringe on others (his works included pushing for state education, while minimizing taxes and government spending, but I don't think I'll go too into depth on that). Mill, generally known for his philosophical work over his economic work, adapted from a cold calculator to a deepened romantic. He determined that people should behave a certain way, but that they usually don't.
Economics teaches that people choose based on pleasure; more pleasure equates to a higher likelihood of the choice being made. So why are people nice? Why do people do charity work? Why calm children instead of yell at them? Hopefully people make that choice because it gives them a sense of happiness and satisfaction that they are doing good. I determined last Friday something strange regarding myself; many of my choices are made with regards to how others perceive me. Now, this probably isn't a rare occurrence, but I do wonder how many people recognize it about themselves. I don't think I really wanted to go to college, though I am glad I did. I didn't want the job I have, but I went though the application process because I thought it would be easier to do that than it would be to deny the person encouraging me a favor. Again, I am glad I did. But last Friday, I was leaving a friend who I had visited, and I thought about why I was leaving. It came to mind that I simply didn't want to go through the hassle of getting a new job, dropping responsibility on others of leaving work, it would be trying finding an apartment, etc. I mean, this was all a knee jerk reaction to wanting to stay an extra day, but it was still a strong urge. I made my decision (to go back to work in a timely manner) because I didn't want to tip the boat.
So, what would happen if I pursued only my own happiness a la Adam Smith? Well, I would be semi-broke at best, probably. Scouting doesn't pay so hot. I would be joining a bunch of club sports and playing video games every night. I would have fun! But something else came up to me. When reading about the life of Mill, he had a mental breakdown. Not surprising; he was raised by a father who never showed emotion, a mother described as cold and unfeeling, relegated to thinking he himself was an imbecile because his father made him re-write his analytic papers until they were perfect, and had no friends. His epiphanous break down was regarding happiness; he stated in his autobiography "Suppose that all your objects in life were realized; that all the changes in institutions and opinions which you are looking forward to, could be completely effected at this very instant: would this be a great joy and happiness to you? And an irrepressible self-consciousness distinctly answered "No!" At this my heart sank within me: the whole foundation on which my life was constructed fell down. All my happiness was to have been found in the continual pursuit of this end. The end had ceased to charm, and how could there ever again be any interest in the means? I seemed to have nothing left to live for."
I decided I should test this; What am I working for, and what will I feel if I accomplish it all?
Well, that will be a post for another day!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Let's get this straight...
There are numerous hot button issues in the socio-political sphere of the US right now. Women's Rights, Gay Marriage, Legalization of Marijuana, Ebola, Healthcare are the ones that immediately come to mind. Abortion is still hotly debated. Minimum wage is a near constant struggle. Immigration is always a popular arguing point.
The topic I would like to focus on today is gay marriage, specifically as it relates to religion. I attempt to lead a religious life. I will freely admit that I am constantly falling short of my potential. I still hope for and work towards progressing and improving. So keep some things in mind here; simply because I voice something as a reason behind my stance on the topic does not mean that I fully exemplify it, but that it is something I hope to be applying in my life. Additionally, this is as I understand it to be, not the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. To business!
I do not know the chemical or psychological process which influences attraction. I have had some gay men come out to me in saying that they chose to have relationships with men because the sex was better while they were high, or they stated they like guys, but there are a lot of girls they really like. Some have told me they have always liked guys. For me, I don't know why I like the girls I do, I simply see a girl, and like her. Due to the diversity of the answers I have received on the subject, I cannot say why anyone is attracted to what. So, that topic is unsettled, and remains open.
Now, on to reception of homosexuality. As stated above, I have friends that are homosexual. Some are very close to me, and some are mere acquaintances. I believe that very little changes within me when I discover someone is gay or not. It would be naive of me to state nothing changes, because every cause has an effect, but I think that I am adept at continuing to accept that person on the same level, given that they operate (more or less) at the same level I understood them to be. To expound and explain that statement, there has been occasion where I develop a friendship with someone, and after coming out they change a great deal. It may be that they are conforming to what they have always intended of themselves. They may simply be trying to be a different person. I don't know what thoughts they have. This is a rare occurrence, though, so I hardly worry about it. The point I am attempting to make here is that I normally do not let the change in stated attraction change my perception of the person.
Hopefully I have made clear that I am a decently accepting person. So please be patient with me if you are in support of gay marriage. My view of marriage is of the fairly traditional christian view; one man and one woman for the creation of a family. This position IS the Official Stance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A common, comically based, argument I hear from promoters of same sex marriage is "well we wouldn't want to ruin the sanctitiy of a marriage like Kim Kardashian, now would we?" in addition to citing the mere days that Britney Spears was married. Another argument is simple; it's not my business or it isn't my responsibility to decide for them and hold them accountable to my rules. Well, that is a fairly good one. However, to counter slightly, when was the last time you ate with a vegan who didn't voice it and then try and sway you to "end the slaughter of animals" or something of the sort? I know it isn't the same, and I know that is a generalization that does not hold true for all, but neither is comparing a diet to marriage or saying all Christians are sexists, racist, warmongers.
I hope I am not coming off as crass, because I'm really trying to not be. I also hope I don't offend any of my dear friends (or any other friends) who hold a different opinion than me. I will freely admit that I am hugely disappointed that the wedding I'm missing this winter is a gay marriage. So please keep in mind; I am not trying to incite anger or start an argument.
To continue; I am greatly offended by the marriages of Kim and Britney. A number of issues have led to the degradation of marriage, most of which I will not touch on here. However, I still hold that I support marriage to be between a man and woman with the intent of creating a family that should carry on for eternity. Here is where another common argument is made; what about a couple that can't have kids? In my mind, it holds that they have the opportunity to create life. I believe in an afterlife that is similar to our life here. I figure that a couple, even if they are unable to have children in this life, will have that chance in the eternities.
My whole view is based on a religious reasoning; I believe in a Plan of Salvation set forth before the creation of the world, and that Plan required our lives on earth to learn, choose, and grow. For us to come to earth, people need to procreate, and bring new life into the world. If it seems as though I am discounting adoption as second hand or unworthy, I am not. I hope to adopt after I have a handful of my own kids (we'll see if I still want 4 of my own kids and another adoption or two after the little rug rats come into the world). A loving family is the basic building block of society. Take a lifespan human development class, or a psych class of any kind. The argument of nature versus nurture is hugely important; are we who we are because of who our parents are, or because of how we were raised? I have always argued vehemently for both sides. Which is stronger, I couldn't say for sure, and that is not a discussion for this time (though I think it has application). The family is hugely important because it is nature, and it should be nurture as well. I was given a training session on borderline personality disorders recently, and there is often a sense of abandonment that is directly associated to the nurture side of the equation. Yet, schizophrenia is generally attributed to genetics. I'm sidetracking here, but lemme get it out this way; family is important for not only supplying the genetic makeup that will influence a child, but also the life experiences of a young person. For these reasons, family is view as a crucial portion of society.
So my progression of personal logic; the Plan of Salvation calls for our lives on earth. The family provides the path to earth in addition to the path through it. So I view marriage as a way to invite new life into the world.
Okay, so in the same way I would attempt to sway people to my political, economic, spiritual, or athletic tendencies, I would also try and let people know how I feel regarding this issue of same sex marriage. I am not attempting to tell them they are wrong. Heck, I have held staunchly to many of my workouts in the face of people around me bulking up because I have learned that the same thing doesn't work for me. It would be asinine of me to assume other people are not the same way. I gain weight when I run. That is not common. I do not hold other people to the same standards or expectations I hold myself to. I will still invite them to those things that have brought me comfort or direction in my life. I do so not to disprove or alienate, but because I have found satisfaction in living that way, and I hope that others can also find it by doing the same thing.
(Written 1/17/15)
The topic I would like to focus on today is gay marriage, specifically as it relates to religion. I attempt to lead a religious life. I will freely admit that I am constantly falling short of my potential. I still hope for and work towards progressing and improving. So keep some things in mind here; simply because I voice something as a reason behind my stance on the topic does not mean that I fully exemplify it, but that it is something I hope to be applying in my life. Additionally, this is as I understand it to be, not the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. To business!
I do not know the chemical or psychological process which influences attraction. I have had some gay men come out to me in saying that they chose to have relationships with men because the sex was better while they were high, or they stated they like guys, but there are a lot of girls they really like. Some have told me they have always liked guys. For me, I don't know why I like the girls I do, I simply see a girl, and like her. Due to the diversity of the answers I have received on the subject, I cannot say why anyone is attracted to what. So, that topic is unsettled, and remains open.
Now, on to reception of homosexuality. As stated above, I have friends that are homosexual. Some are very close to me, and some are mere acquaintances. I believe that very little changes within me when I discover someone is gay or not. It would be naive of me to state nothing changes, because every cause has an effect, but I think that I am adept at continuing to accept that person on the same level, given that they operate (more or less) at the same level I understood them to be. To expound and explain that statement, there has been occasion where I develop a friendship with someone, and after coming out they change a great deal. It may be that they are conforming to what they have always intended of themselves. They may simply be trying to be a different person. I don't know what thoughts they have. This is a rare occurrence, though, so I hardly worry about it. The point I am attempting to make here is that I normally do not let the change in stated attraction change my perception of the person.
Hopefully I have made clear that I am a decently accepting person. So please be patient with me if you are in support of gay marriage. My view of marriage is of the fairly traditional christian view; one man and one woman for the creation of a family. This position IS the Official Stance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A common, comically based, argument I hear from promoters of same sex marriage is "well we wouldn't want to ruin the sanctitiy of a marriage like Kim Kardashian, now would we?" in addition to citing the mere days that Britney Spears was married. Another argument is simple; it's not my business or it isn't my responsibility to decide for them and hold them accountable to my rules. Well, that is a fairly good one. However, to counter slightly, when was the last time you ate with a vegan who didn't voice it and then try and sway you to "end the slaughter of animals" or something of the sort? I know it isn't the same, and I know that is a generalization that does not hold true for all, but neither is comparing a diet to marriage or saying all Christians are sexists, racist, warmongers.
I hope I am not coming off as crass, because I'm really trying to not be. I also hope I don't offend any of my dear friends (or any other friends) who hold a different opinion than me. I will freely admit that I am hugely disappointed that the wedding I'm missing this winter is a gay marriage. So please keep in mind; I am not trying to incite anger or start an argument.
To continue; I am greatly offended by the marriages of Kim and Britney. A number of issues have led to the degradation of marriage, most of which I will not touch on here. However, I still hold that I support marriage to be between a man and woman with the intent of creating a family that should carry on for eternity. Here is where another common argument is made; what about a couple that can't have kids? In my mind, it holds that they have the opportunity to create life. I believe in an afterlife that is similar to our life here. I figure that a couple, even if they are unable to have children in this life, will have that chance in the eternities.
My whole view is based on a religious reasoning; I believe in a Plan of Salvation set forth before the creation of the world, and that Plan required our lives on earth to learn, choose, and grow. For us to come to earth, people need to procreate, and bring new life into the world. If it seems as though I am discounting adoption as second hand or unworthy, I am not. I hope to adopt after I have a handful of my own kids (we'll see if I still want 4 of my own kids and another adoption or two after the little rug rats come into the world). A loving family is the basic building block of society. Take a lifespan human development class, or a psych class of any kind. The argument of nature versus nurture is hugely important; are we who we are because of who our parents are, or because of how we were raised? I have always argued vehemently for both sides. Which is stronger, I couldn't say for sure, and that is not a discussion for this time (though I think it has application). The family is hugely important because it is nature, and it should be nurture as well. I was given a training session on borderline personality disorders recently, and there is often a sense of abandonment that is directly associated to the nurture side of the equation. Yet, schizophrenia is generally attributed to genetics. I'm sidetracking here, but lemme get it out this way; family is important for not only supplying the genetic makeup that will influence a child, but also the life experiences of a young person. For these reasons, family is view as a crucial portion of society.
So my progression of personal logic; the Plan of Salvation calls for our lives on earth. The family provides the path to earth in addition to the path through it. So I view marriage as a way to invite new life into the world.
Okay, so in the same way I would attempt to sway people to my political, economic, spiritual, or athletic tendencies, I would also try and let people know how I feel regarding this issue of same sex marriage. I am not attempting to tell them they are wrong. Heck, I have held staunchly to many of my workouts in the face of people around me bulking up because I have learned that the same thing doesn't work for me. It would be asinine of me to assume other people are not the same way. I gain weight when I run. That is not common. I do not hold other people to the same standards or expectations I hold myself to. I will still invite them to those things that have brought me comfort or direction in my life. I do so not to disprove or alienate, but because I have found satisfaction in living that way, and I hope that others can also find it by doing the same thing.
(Written 1/17/15)
Going out with a bang, and a bucket
It was the beginning of the end of the year. Christmas was just around the corner. It was a Wednesday, 8 days before Christmas. I had, just the day previous, been appointed as the Director of a halfway house. I started feeling a headache coming on. I never get headaches, so when these symptoms start I tend to take notice. The headache was soon followed by a sore throat. No real problems though. I continued to work as usual. Thursday was fine, as I swamped my system with enough honey infused hot lemonade to flood the Grand Canyon. Friday was a bit different. As part of my new position, I was charged with driving across the state to evaluate potential residents for our facility. I woke up with a squeaky, pinched voice. It sounded like I was going through puberty, in all honesty. But I hopped in the car anyways, and drove the 240 miles necessary to go to the hospital where the potential resident was staying. My voiced squeaked and cracked slightly through the whole interview, and by the time I left it was getting to be painful to swallow. Saturday was much the same; my throat progressed to being more pained, tighter, and more swollen. I bowed out of choir Sunday morning. I was excused by my mother from helping prepare the house for our annual Caroling Party, so I slept for 2 hours. I had trouble eating because of the pain of swallowing. When I went to bed, I could feel my throat closing up, the pain increasing with each swallow. I began to hang my head over a pail, letting my mouth leak out instead of attempting to swallow. It was still too painful, so I ended up in Urgent care at 11pm where I was diagnosed with... an idiopathic acute viral infection. Well, I sure am glad you could at least tell me what was attacking me! A bunch of liquid OXy later and I could just barely tolerate swallowing. My administrator told me to stay home, and even rearranged a number of my appointments to be followed up on, in an abbreviated fashion, on Tuesday. Finally, more than a week after the headache started, I felt almost normal. It took until Saturday for there to be no noticeable pain when I swallowed. The headache had abated by the end of Christmas day, and I was no longer tight voiced.
There were a number of traditions I missed out on this year; The LDS Sheboygan Ward Christmas Day Polar Bearing event, the day after Christmas Ice Bowl, and Caroling. It was a rather disappointing Christmas for me, at least socially.
However, I had a wonderful holiday season. I was sickly, tired, and fatigued, but I was happy and excited. Drugs, disease, and buckets could not sway me!
(Written 12/29/15)
There were a number of traditions I missed out on this year; The LDS Sheboygan Ward Christmas Day Polar Bearing event, the day after Christmas Ice Bowl, and Caroling. It was a rather disappointing Christmas for me, at least socially.
However, I had a wonderful holiday season. I was sickly, tired, and fatigued, but I was happy and excited. Drugs, disease, and buckets could not sway me!
(Written 12/29/15)
It's like a hover craft... except nobody wants one!
As an RA, you get to know a whole group of people each and every year. It is almost like living on a Freshman (First Year Student) floor each and every semester of your college career. I lived in sophomore housing once, and it was dreary. No doors were ever open. It was quiet all the time. I was charge up and down the hallways at full speed whenever the Packers scored because I felt there was no risk of anyone EVER being in the halls.
But Freshman floors seem to always have that period of time where everyone comes out of their shell a little bit. Each resident gains a portion of the identity of the floor. Our identity was Mario Kart 64 with tournaments and leader boards. A community is built every year in a way that groups of older students don't build. As an RA, you are able to witness this again and again.
Downsides do exist. The one on my mind today is regarding helicopters. Two immediately come to mind; helicopter parents, who call to argue and complain about a drinking offense or vandalism fine or something of that ilk. The other is a helicopter resident. These first year students, and sometimes older ones as well, latch on to the RA as a friend, and hover around. They work their schedule around eating with the RA, spending time with the RA in the afternoon or evening, even going so far as to ask the RA for advice on fraternities or going to school dances.
[IThe more I wrote about these students, the more I recognized that I was like this to my freshman RA. I didn't have a roommate, and he was right next door, and I thought he was awesome. Still do. Grant was a freaking awesome guy. Sophomore year, when I was still only 20 years old, a friend gave me a bottle of Capt. Morgan's spiced rum, and (it being my first semester as an RA) I was rather nervous about having alcohol, so I did the logical thing; I CALLED MY RA! Grant was (as usual) awesome about the whole thing. He held on to it for the entire semester, and gave it back once we left. I hope I wasn't a burden on him.]
Helicopter residents knock on the RAs door, walk up to them to have a conversation while they are studying in the library, or try and talk to them while they run on a treadmill or lift in the gym. It puts a peculiar burden on the RAs ability to carry out their duties. I have seen residents like this have almost a complete breakdown when they get in trouble with the RA they thought was their best friend.
An RA student relationship like this can be trouble. If the person never grows out of that habit, it can be detrimental to establishing fulfilling relationships. I still meet people who cling to others, establishing their self worth around the attention they receive, and acting out in terrible fashion if that attention isn't given.
Don't hover. Don't rate your worth on other's thoughts or attentions.
Sometimes you've got to cut and run.
I am overwhelmed. Seriously. It isn't to the point where I am stressed. It is beyond that. I get home, and it is into bed with me. I wake up at 4am and dread getting up at 7 to go to work. I am afraid each time my phone goes off because it could be someone from work.
And yet with all this, I do like what I do, but it is a bit too much. Interacting with the residents may be what is burning me out the most. To the best of my knowledge, I am not supposed to see them this much. They are always around, talking to me from the time I get in to start the day until an hour after I was supposed to leave, because they keep asking "can I tell you something?" and other such things. I am exhausted. I hardly workout at all any more. I eat like crap. I have the highest body fat I have had in my life.
What do I do?
(Written 2/26/15)
And yet with all this, I do like what I do, but it is a bit too much. Interacting with the residents may be what is burning me out the most. To the best of my knowledge, I am not supposed to see them this much. They are always around, talking to me from the time I get in to start the day until an hour after I was supposed to leave, because they keep asking "can I tell you something?" and other such things. I am exhausted. I hardly workout at all any more. I eat like crap. I have the highest body fat I have had in my life.
What do I do?
(Written 2/26/15)
"Conditions are perfect!!!"
So the title is from a wonderfully fun, yet slightly over the top, Flight of the Conchords song. However it has its merits.
I recall my cross country career; I was a soon to be wee (and I mean really-wee. I was 5'9, having grown half a foot over summer, but a mere 120lbs) freshman, with dreams of ruling the gridiron. I was so excited to play football. I would be a great receiver, or running back. Maybe play safety, I just wanted to play. So I got to the first day of high school, and then among the announcements, they said that football would be playing their third game Friday. I never knew that sports started in the summer! Well, despondent, I was walking through the halls when I ran into Sam, a friend from middle school. He said that I should meet the Cross Country coach. My gym teachers in middle school always told me to run CC, so I accepted, met Coach V., and ran 5 races that year with a PR of 21:45, a near three minute improvement from my worst race of the year. The next season, I was all set to play football. I'd lifted a bit, putting on about 5 pounds. I ran more sprints during the track season to get faster. The football coach was the track coach, so he knew me. I was ready, but then the football team got a new coach. I was nervous, because this guy was completely new. So, I ran CC again, eventually running a 19:18 at the conference meet. Finally, Junior year. I'd talked tot he football coach in spring, I worked out hard, I'd bought cleats and gloves and gone to summer football camps and finally put on some real weight, reaching a beefy 155 (and I really did feel huge at that point). Right before the season started, I discovered that Coach V, who had been coaching at North for 2 plus decades, was retiring. I felt I owed him a season, so I put down the cleats and picked up my running spikes. The first race, I earned a varsity spot, running a high 18 minute 5-K. By the end of the season, I'd run a 17:15 and was number 2 on the team. I was recruited by St. Norbert to run for them in college, and my senior year I was named captain and put on the fall sports poster. I am so glad I ran CC, because it led me to St. Norbert. I have since played football at the semi-pro level, as well as rugby at the club level, but I am quite glad that I had not heard that fall sports began before school.
Another example! I was recently talking to Sam ( a different one) regarding how we met. I was a Senior, she a Freshman. I was supposed to have graduated in 2012, and it was currently fall semester of 2013. So, right there, we should never have met. However, I left school following my junior year to serve a mission for my church (if you don't know that, then you must be really new to this blog!), so I was actually supposed to be back fall of 2014 at the earliest. However, knowing me, I wouldn't have sent in any paperwork to SNC previous to coming home, so I would have gone back to school in 2015. She'd be a junior to my senior, and since I'd have known no one, I would have kept completely to myself, and been basically a loner my entire senior year. Here it is again; I was released from my mission early, leading to my enrollment in school in fall of 2013. Pretty good set of conditions so far. Now, I first saw Sam (though I didn't immediately recall after we'd been introduced) at a open mic session at the Night Owl, an on campus coffee shop, with her roommate. We were 8 feet from each other, but neither of us even made eye contact. I only recalled that she was there because the guy with them had been wearing an outrageous bow tie that completely clashed with his very formal attire; a bow tie that is very much so him. I think that, as a freshman, she would have been extremely reserved and hesitant had I introduced myself to her at any point so early in the semester, and it would have been vastly awkward any time either of us saw the other at any point there after. We were finally introduced in mid-November, at a time when I had finally given blind dating a try and was feeling very lonely thereafter, and she had just met a guy who would turn out to be a bit of a singularly minded wolf of a man. I recognized one single person at a table she was sitting at, asked if I could join, and had a good time just chatting with them. I saw her consistently for days, but other than brief and boisterous 'hello there' type greetings, very little else occurred. Then, late one night, I decided to finally work on my term paper due a few days from then. I was walking to the library with headphones on, intent on ignoring anyone I passed by, when I saw a group of four walking my way. "Head down, don't make eye contact, bob as though you're listening to a good song, walk past them"; such was my internal dialogue. Well, I happened to glance up, and I saw Sam being carried around by outrageous bow tie and roommate. They loudly said 'hi', dropped her in my arms, and laughed uproariously as I threatened to carry her hostage to the library where she would be forced to research the fall of the Spanish Empire for me. I eventually put her down, and we walked away. Another happy circumstance; I was supposed to have been at the library 6 hours earlier. There was a 2 minute window where we would walk past each other, and we nailed it. So many things contributed to us meeting, and it was all at the right time.
Then there are every day examples, like when I was driving home at night in a fog (huge, heavy, dense fog), and, though I normally go only 52mph on LS, I was only going 45 or so. Well, a deer leaps in front of my car from the embankment, and I hit the brakes to miss it, just brushing it with the front driver's side corner of my hood. He was going at an angle away from my car while crossing the road, so that bought probably 2 or 3 feet of space. I was going 10mph slower than normal. I was more alert because it was foggy. If it were not for those factors, I'd have hit that deer in a way that would have left more than some fur on my headlight.
I can't track all the 'coincidences' that occur in my life. There are too many, and most which I don't even know about. However, "conditions are perfect" to have led me where I am today, and for that I am grateful.
(Written 2/23/15)
I recall my cross country career; I was a soon to be wee (and I mean really-wee. I was 5'9, having grown half a foot over summer, but a mere 120lbs) freshman, with dreams of ruling the gridiron. I was so excited to play football. I would be a great receiver, or running back. Maybe play safety, I just wanted to play. So I got to the first day of high school, and then among the announcements, they said that football would be playing their third game Friday. I never knew that sports started in the summer! Well, despondent, I was walking through the halls when I ran into Sam, a friend from middle school. He said that I should meet the Cross Country coach. My gym teachers in middle school always told me to run CC, so I accepted, met Coach V., and ran 5 races that year with a PR of 21:45, a near three minute improvement from my worst race of the year. The next season, I was all set to play football. I'd lifted a bit, putting on about 5 pounds. I ran more sprints during the track season to get faster. The football coach was the track coach, so he knew me. I was ready, but then the football team got a new coach. I was nervous, because this guy was completely new. So, I ran CC again, eventually running a 19:18 at the conference meet. Finally, Junior year. I'd talked tot he football coach in spring, I worked out hard, I'd bought cleats and gloves and gone to summer football camps and finally put on some real weight, reaching a beefy 155 (and I really did feel huge at that point). Right before the season started, I discovered that Coach V, who had been coaching at North for 2 plus decades, was retiring. I felt I owed him a season, so I put down the cleats and picked up my running spikes. The first race, I earned a varsity spot, running a high 18 minute 5-K. By the end of the season, I'd run a 17:15 and was number 2 on the team. I was recruited by St. Norbert to run for them in college, and my senior year I was named captain and put on the fall sports poster. I am so glad I ran CC, because it led me to St. Norbert. I have since played football at the semi-pro level, as well as rugby at the club level, but I am quite glad that I had not heard that fall sports began before school.
Another example! I was recently talking to Sam ( a different one) regarding how we met. I was a Senior, she a Freshman. I was supposed to have graduated in 2012, and it was currently fall semester of 2013. So, right there, we should never have met. However, I left school following my junior year to serve a mission for my church (if you don't know that, then you must be really new to this blog!), so I was actually supposed to be back fall of 2014 at the earliest. However, knowing me, I wouldn't have sent in any paperwork to SNC previous to coming home, so I would have gone back to school in 2015. She'd be a junior to my senior, and since I'd have known no one, I would have kept completely to myself, and been basically a loner my entire senior year. Here it is again; I was released from my mission early, leading to my enrollment in school in fall of 2013. Pretty good set of conditions so far. Now, I first saw Sam (though I didn't immediately recall after we'd been introduced) at a open mic session at the Night Owl, an on campus coffee shop, with her roommate. We were 8 feet from each other, but neither of us even made eye contact. I only recalled that she was there because the guy with them had been wearing an outrageous bow tie that completely clashed with his very formal attire; a bow tie that is very much so him. I think that, as a freshman, she would have been extremely reserved and hesitant had I introduced myself to her at any point so early in the semester, and it would have been vastly awkward any time either of us saw the other at any point there after. We were finally introduced in mid-November, at a time when I had finally given blind dating a try and was feeling very lonely thereafter, and she had just met a guy who would turn out to be a bit of a singularly minded wolf of a man. I recognized one single person at a table she was sitting at, asked if I could join, and had a good time just chatting with them. I saw her consistently for days, but other than brief and boisterous 'hello there' type greetings, very little else occurred. Then, late one night, I decided to finally work on my term paper due a few days from then. I was walking to the library with headphones on, intent on ignoring anyone I passed by, when I saw a group of four walking my way. "Head down, don't make eye contact, bob as though you're listening to a good song, walk past them"; such was my internal dialogue. Well, I happened to glance up, and I saw Sam being carried around by outrageous bow tie and roommate. They loudly said 'hi', dropped her in my arms, and laughed uproariously as I threatened to carry her hostage to the library where she would be forced to research the fall of the Spanish Empire for me. I eventually put her down, and we walked away. Another happy circumstance; I was supposed to have been at the library 6 hours earlier. There was a 2 minute window where we would walk past each other, and we nailed it. So many things contributed to us meeting, and it was all at the right time.
Then there are every day examples, like when I was driving home at night in a fog (huge, heavy, dense fog), and, though I normally go only 52mph on LS, I was only going 45 or so. Well, a deer leaps in front of my car from the embankment, and I hit the brakes to miss it, just brushing it with the front driver's side corner of my hood. He was going at an angle away from my car while crossing the road, so that bought probably 2 or 3 feet of space. I was going 10mph slower than normal. I was more alert because it was foggy. If it were not for those factors, I'd have hit that deer in a way that would have left more than some fur on my headlight.
I can't track all the 'coincidences' that occur in my life. There are too many, and most which I don't even know about. However, "conditions are perfect" to have led me where I am today, and for that I am grateful.
(Written 2/23/15)
Balderdash and Knocking Heads
Why can't people just get the frick along? I have been putting out fires at work for weeks. Two months by this point. And it constantly involves the same two women. One woman is a veteran; she is the second longest active tenured individual on staff. She is experienced and has worked in the industry a long time. The other is the second newest member on staff; college educated, but perfectly new to working in this arena. The first has taken to attempting to lord over others, challenging them with regard to everything from how they pass meds, cleaning the desk, mopping, and record resident actions. The second is a millennial through and through; all about the phone and computer and staying in touch. She wants to work with and help the residents, but because of the lack of enthusiasm from them, has withdrawn somewhat. These two started by knocking heads. The veteran was offended that the millennial was still writing up shift reports, as well as using her phone at the end of the shift. The veteran had arrived about 15 minutes early, so the millennial was not prepared to give a full vocal report. The veteran became offended, and has been near hostile to this other worker ever since. Actions reported include ignoring her at shift change, walking around muttering "stupid" under her breath around the millennial, and nitpicking every thing she does, even to the point of passive aggressively reporting all her flaws in the middle of a staff meeting. The millennial has done a somewhat poor job of responding appropriately, leading to further passive aggression by both parties.
If it were relegated to just these two, I could handle it. However, it doesn't end there. There are 3 other women that have a portion of this conflict, and the sides have been loosely drawing in allegiances, and yet there are tangled and twisted associations. The veteran has drawn to her side the other experienced worker. The millennial has the friendship of another new member, a mother in her late 20's. The fifth woman sort of hovers between the two sides, reporting issues of both the veteran and the millennial.
Now, I'll go to resident reports. Residents are hiding or leaving the house when the veteran comes to work, having even stated they get anxiety and panic attacks in her presence. She has been reported to throw things around the kitchen as she "cleans up" and "reorganizes" things. One resident reported that the vet cursed the resident out for coming in after hours and bringing the significant other with (which would have been well beyond visitation hours). This report had been investigated and already mostly discounted, due to the inconsistency of the resident's report, but the veteran was so angry about it she stormed out on me during a shift change leaving me to cover the overnight shift that she had taken. She hovered around work a few nights later that week which led to the floater reporting she felt unsafe in the vets presence. The millennial is right up there in reports. She is said to only sit on her phone or the computer, and make a whirlwind mess in the kitchen which she then makes the residents clean up, and anything that isn't cleaned she leaves for the overnight staff. Again, there are inconsistencies on the reports against her, leveled in part by the floater as well as the vet and the residents. There also exists greater evidence that lends credence to her side of the story, building a more defensible stance for her.
Basically, to sum up, neither of these people seem to be getting along with staff or residents. The staff conflict doesn't make sense' They see each other for less than 15 minutes at a time; deal with it! You can put up with someone for fifteen minutes. If the President of the USA could meet with the President of the USSR for days, to people who don't like each other can at least be effective about doing their jobs for fifteen minutes! The resident concerns are worse. There seems to be an easier fix for the millennial than the vet; put down the phone. For the vet; change your attitude. Neither seems likely to me at this time.
(Written 1/19/15)
If it were relegated to just these two, I could handle it. However, it doesn't end there. There are 3 other women that have a portion of this conflict, and the sides have been loosely drawing in allegiances, and yet there are tangled and twisted associations. The veteran has drawn to her side the other experienced worker. The millennial has the friendship of another new member, a mother in her late 20's. The fifth woman sort of hovers between the two sides, reporting issues of both the veteran and the millennial.
Now, I'll go to resident reports. Residents are hiding or leaving the house when the veteran comes to work, having even stated they get anxiety and panic attacks in her presence. She has been reported to throw things around the kitchen as she "cleans up" and "reorganizes" things. One resident reported that the vet cursed the resident out for coming in after hours and bringing the significant other with (which would have been well beyond visitation hours). This report had been investigated and already mostly discounted, due to the inconsistency of the resident's report, but the veteran was so angry about it she stormed out on me during a shift change leaving me to cover the overnight shift that she had taken. She hovered around work a few nights later that week which led to the floater reporting she felt unsafe in the vets presence. The millennial is right up there in reports. She is said to only sit on her phone or the computer, and make a whirlwind mess in the kitchen which she then makes the residents clean up, and anything that isn't cleaned she leaves for the overnight staff. Again, there are inconsistencies on the reports against her, leveled in part by the floater as well as the vet and the residents. There also exists greater evidence that lends credence to her side of the story, building a more defensible stance for her.
Basically, to sum up, neither of these people seem to be getting along with staff or residents. The staff conflict doesn't make sense' They see each other for less than 15 minutes at a time; deal with it! You can put up with someone for fifteen minutes. If the President of the USA could meet with the President of the USSR for days, to people who don't like each other can at least be effective about doing their jobs for fifteen minutes! The resident concerns are worse. There seems to be an easier fix for the millennial than the vet; put down the phone. For the vet; change your attitude. Neither seems likely to me at this time.
(Written 1/19/15)
Getting in shape for getting in shape
I'll freely admit that I am not in great shape right now. Heck, I'm nervous about getting a game of ultimate frisbee going with a bunch of high schoolers. Additionally, I have an alumni track meet coming up in mid-April. I reached out to a number of former teammates, and most of them asked for a brief wait before we start speed workouts. The reasons varied, but I think the most telling was needing to 'get in shape for getting in shape.' I was not alone in believing that I needed to kick my butt into gear (on my own) previous to getting in shape with a handful of guys who knew me back when I could run a sub 16 minute 5k. Alright, I'll be honest; these guys knew me when I could only run a 17 minute 5k.
So let me get this out there (even though I am not posting these blogs, just writing them); before the middle of February, I need to complete a training circuit where I run 6 200 meter repeats at 30 seconds each, with less than 45 seconds rest between. Hopefully, by the end of March, I will be able to do 8 200 repeats at 28 seconds with 40 seconds rest. This will be a fast workout, and it may well cause me to throw up (I HAVE YET TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT), but if it makes me run a sub 2 minute 800, then it will well be worth it.
There are a number of things I am getting ready for, though. Football workouts are starting in March. Track season is starting then as well. Spartan races and Tough Mudders will (hopefully) be prevalent for me this next year. Rugby is always awesome and a hope for me.
So I need to set my sights on some goals. Think these are realistic at all?
Weight: 178. At 5'10'' (yeah, I grew a half inch this past year!), 178 lbs is a little light for contact sports such as football and rugby, but it is also a little heavy for distance events like the mile and 5k. By aiming for 178, I should be able to gain or lose up to 8 lbs depending on the most important event 2 weeks in my future.
40 yard dash: 4.75. I have never run a good 40, and with the Run Rich Run segment coming up during the combine, I would like to run in my work clothes and put on a good showing. This means a lot of power cleans and jump roping and dot drills.
200 meter: 24. I lost a race to fellow distance runner Nathan Heppe in the 200 at Milwaukee Lutheran this past spring. I would like to put that behind me.
800 Meter: 1:59. I would really like to be able to break that 2 minute barrier in the 800.
Mile: 4:25. If I can run a sub 2 800, I should be able to run a sub 4:30 mile.
5 K: 16:30. See the logic from my mile time, and extrapolate.
10 K: 34. See 5 k description.
Ways I can meet these goals are to meet workout goals, so...
Squat: 335
Dead Lift: 425
Power Clean: 225
Vertical: 34''
Dot Drill: 48 seconds
Broad Jump: 9'
Burpees: 40 straight
Pull Ups: 25 straight
200 repeats: 8 x 28 seconds, 40 seconds rest
Mile repeats: 7 x 5 minutes, 1 minute rest, 3 minutes jog recovery, 1 minute rest
Hill Sprints: 28 North Point, hammer on 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 22, 26, 28
A couple lifting workouts, a few running workouts. My squat had never been good before a year ago, so even aiming for north of 315 is a big goal for me. I was doing 365 DL for 3 sets, 6 reps without much trouble in the fall, so aiming for over 400 shouldn't be that tough. My power clean is even worse than my squat when it comes to heavy weight, so even 200 is a big goal. I can't jump, so 34'' vertical and 9' broad is pretty ambitious. The North Point hill is used by a couple different sports teams in the area, so using it as a workout location is fairly common, and hammering means essentially a sprint (90-95% max speed as opposed to workout speeds). My 200 repeat workout is my best barometer for mid distance runs. If I can run multiple 200s at a 28 seconds at the end of a workout, I should be able to do back to back (a 400) at 26 (52 second 400), or back to back to back to back at 29ish (1:56-1:59 800). The math works roughly the same for my 5 k related to my mile repeat as 200s did to my 800.
I may be aiming a bit ambitiously on these goals of mine, but I just need to lift 4x weekly, run 4x weekly, and this should lead to success... maybe.
(Written 1/10/15)
So let me get this out there (even though I am not posting these blogs, just writing them); before the middle of February, I need to complete a training circuit where I run 6 200 meter repeats at 30 seconds each, with less than 45 seconds rest between. Hopefully, by the end of March, I will be able to do 8 200 repeats at 28 seconds with 40 seconds rest. This will be a fast workout, and it may well cause me to throw up (I HAVE YET TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT), but if it makes me run a sub 2 minute 800, then it will well be worth it.
There are a number of things I am getting ready for, though. Football workouts are starting in March. Track season is starting then as well. Spartan races and Tough Mudders will (hopefully) be prevalent for me this next year. Rugby is always awesome and a hope for me.
So I need to set my sights on some goals. Think these are realistic at all?
Weight: 178. At 5'10'' (yeah, I grew a half inch this past year!), 178 lbs is a little light for contact sports such as football and rugby, but it is also a little heavy for distance events like the mile and 5k. By aiming for 178, I should be able to gain or lose up to 8 lbs depending on the most important event 2 weeks in my future.
40 yard dash: 4.75. I have never run a good 40, and with the Run Rich Run segment coming up during the combine, I would like to run in my work clothes and put on a good showing. This means a lot of power cleans and jump roping and dot drills.
200 meter: 24. I lost a race to fellow distance runner Nathan Heppe in the 200 at Milwaukee Lutheran this past spring. I would like to put that behind me.
800 Meter: 1:59. I would really like to be able to break that 2 minute barrier in the 800.
Mile: 4:25. If I can run a sub 2 800, I should be able to run a sub 4:30 mile.
5 K: 16:30. See the logic from my mile time, and extrapolate.
10 K: 34. See 5 k description.
Ways I can meet these goals are to meet workout goals, so...
Squat: 335
Dead Lift: 425
Power Clean: 225
Vertical: 34''
Dot Drill: 48 seconds
Broad Jump: 9'
Burpees: 40 straight
Pull Ups: 25 straight
200 repeats: 8 x 28 seconds, 40 seconds rest
Mile repeats: 7 x 5 minutes, 1 minute rest, 3 minutes jog recovery, 1 minute rest
Hill Sprints: 28 North Point, hammer on 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 22, 26, 28
A couple lifting workouts, a few running workouts. My squat had never been good before a year ago, so even aiming for north of 315 is a big goal for me. I was doing 365 DL for 3 sets, 6 reps without much trouble in the fall, so aiming for over 400 shouldn't be that tough. My power clean is even worse than my squat when it comes to heavy weight, so even 200 is a big goal. I can't jump, so 34'' vertical and 9' broad is pretty ambitious. The North Point hill is used by a couple different sports teams in the area, so using it as a workout location is fairly common, and hammering means essentially a sprint (90-95% max speed as opposed to workout speeds). My 200 repeat workout is my best barometer for mid distance runs. If I can run multiple 200s at a 28 seconds at the end of a workout, I should be able to do back to back (a 400) at 26 (52 second 400), or back to back to back to back at 29ish (1:56-1:59 800). The math works roughly the same for my 5 k related to my mile repeat as 200s did to my 800.
I may be aiming a bit ambitiously on these goals of mine, but I just need to lift 4x weekly, run 4x weekly, and this should lead to success... maybe.
(Written 1/10/15)
How bad do you want it?
This is a commonly thrown out question by motivational speakers. I really enjoy looking up motivation videos on youtube and watching them. They are usually combinations of a couple different famous athletes with inspiring feats of physical aptitude, or something of that gist. The one I have been watching the most recently is titled "Rise and Shine." I like the diversity of the sports shown. I also look up a lot of Adrian Peterson videos, because let's face it; he's a beast on the gridiron.
My hope is that every time I immerse myself in these sorts of things, I get a spark. I strive a little harder. I decided against playing football this year because I am working two jobs (coaching High School CC and as a Caregiver in a residential facility), but I am already really missing it. I was able to play in the first game, and I felt good physically. But without goals on the near horizon, am I going to be able to keep the desire to workout high?
History says no. I have always been good at intermittent workouts. It's how I burn off stress, so whenever it gets bad for me, I hit the gym, or go for a run, or do hill sprints. But consistent, focused, progressive workouts? Nah, not really my thing. I like to do a workout for the fun or the relief of stress. Just lifting or going through a bunch of football or rugby drills on my own isn't a huge draw for me. At least not by myself.
Associated with this is another thought. I was driving on 32 headed up towards the Fox Valley/Green Bay area, and I recalled that I was supposed to workout before I had left. Well, I figured I'd do it later. The thoughts of "I'll do it tomorrow" are fairly common for me. But I started thinking in terms of physics; what denotes time for us? Our measurement of it's passing, which is a human conceived and denoted object. I decided to toss aside the measurement of time in minutes and seconds and thought; how will I determine time now? The passage of the sun is a good one, but I thought that feeling it pass, FEELING it, would be best. We have all had a time when we got caught up, and realized that night fell without our notice. Or, where we figured it was time to head up to bed, only to find that it was just after 6 pm (screw you short, wintery days!). If I use this as my base, then time is only as I experience it. By this logic, there is, technically, no future, and the past cannot be altered, leaving me with each individual moment... which I am currently spending typing at a computer. Every today becomes yesterday. Every tomorrow becomes today. So really, if we use the laws of mathematics that state that "if A=B and B=C, A=C" then we can deduce that every tomorrow is, in reality, a yesterday. Gotta use our todays, cause they're really all we have.
(Written 12/14/14)
My hope is that every time I immerse myself in these sorts of things, I get a spark. I strive a little harder. I decided against playing football this year because I am working two jobs (coaching High School CC and as a Caregiver in a residential facility), but I am already really missing it. I was able to play in the first game, and I felt good physically. But without goals on the near horizon, am I going to be able to keep the desire to workout high?
History says no. I have always been good at intermittent workouts. It's how I burn off stress, so whenever it gets bad for me, I hit the gym, or go for a run, or do hill sprints. But consistent, focused, progressive workouts? Nah, not really my thing. I like to do a workout for the fun or the relief of stress. Just lifting or going through a bunch of football or rugby drills on my own isn't a huge draw for me. At least not by myself.
Associated with this is another thought. I was driving on 32 headed up towards the Fox Valley/Green Bay area, and I recalled that I was supposed to workout before I had left. Well, I figured I'd do it later. The thoughts of "I'll do it tomorrow" are fairly common for me. But I started thinking in terms of physics; what denotes time for us? Our measurement of it's passing, which is a human conceived and denoted object. I decided to toss aside the measurement of time in minutes and seconds and thought; how will I determine time now? The passage of the sun is a good one, but I thought that feeling it pass, FEELING it, would be best. We have all had a time when we got caught up, and realized that night fell without our notice. Or, where we figured it was time to head up to bed, only to find that it was just after 6 pm (screw you short, wintery days!). If I use this as my base, then time is only as I experience it. By this logic, there is, technically, no future, and the past cannot be altered, leaving me with each individual moment... which I am currently spending typing at a computer. Every today becomes yesterday. Every tomorrow becomes today. So really, if we use the laws of mathematics that state that "if A=B and B=C, A=C" then we can deduce that every tomorrow is, in reality, a yesterday. Gotta use our todays, cause they're really all we have.
(Written 12/14/14)
In the words of the great Ulysses Everett McGill "Hmm, ma hair!"
I recently found a post on buzzfeed about a bunch of guys who rock the undercut. The title I read was along the lines of "27 guys with the undercut that will ruin your life," but upon clicking it, it stated these 27 guys with rocking hair will awaken you... sexually. Weeeeeeeeell, not exactly what I signed up for, but that first guy was wearing what looked like a really cool, comfty, and warm sweater... so I kept going through it.
So I thought I would critique it a little bit, as well as compare to what I think I could accomplish with my hair. There are a couple that are plain impossible for me to do. My hair is heavy, thick, and coarse. It does what it wants, for the most part (especially if I showered, and then go to bed at any point within 3 hours). Also, a beard seems to go very well with an undercut. Good to know!!! Cause I can't grow one. Also, soccer and the undercut go very well together. I think the person who made this list is probably Euro, because there wasn't a single American football player on the list (of course, some of their hairstyles are simply horrendous). The individual who put the list together also has a thing for the tattoo'd and pierced (some of which are done well, others of whom the only think I found dashing at ALL about them is the hair).
So, what I got out of it is that I need a great deal of product to make my hair look as dashing as theirs. Also, a professional hair cut. I'm pretty good at doing my own short sides, longer back, long top look, but it was a huge challenge to even get a semblance of a fade going from my 3 inch front locks to my then ranging from 2-2.5 inch back/top/middle section of my head. It was a nightmare! I screwed up so many times and just said 'oh, just some layering' whenever someone noticed how choppy it was. No more doing my own fades and layers! back on topic, I need a lot of work put into my hair to make it look as good. It is work I am probably not willing to do. What that means is that I need to be winsome and handsome and wonderful some other way... gots ta learn ta wink like a champ! I guess girls like that sort of thing, too.
Also, instagram. I had no idea it was as big as it was until halfway through summer! Wow! Seemingly everyone is on it. Even the General Authorities of the LDS Church!
I also found a wonderful site call Combatant Gentleman. It also testifies that beards are cool as of this post. Pretty good suits at a great price, too. They report that they keep their mark up down (still encouraging tailoring, though) so that more men can look good... and also if you can get 3 suits for $600, the other $600 can be spent on a great suit (I don't quite get that. my suit budget hasn't even hit $500 yet). I don't even know how I got on this topic, but suits are awesome. I have been meaning to get my suits tailored for a long time. When I was in high school, off the rack suits looked aMAZing on me. 50 pounds later, I have these things called shoulders. They look great in a fitted suit, but in order to get a suit that fits my back, it swims around at my waist. If I but one that makes my hips looks great, I can't button it for fear of going all Chris Farley on it.
So, on the topic of suits, who else believes that we are forever out of the mode of men wearing suits every day? I love looking back at pictures and seeing a guy wearing slacks with a button up and s'penders WORKING IN THE GARDEN!!! Or at the beach. Or playing catch. I find that men (my self WHOLEY included in this) just don't have the class. Of course, I don't have the finances to allocate to consistently wearing suits, and I sweat really easily (I walked to work in shorts today because it crept over freezing), and I like being able to just run around or lounge in the clothes that I wear all the time. So for me, shorts/jeans and tees are the common. Maybe once I retire I can wear suits all the time...
Well this post became random! I'm going to finish with a story from my childhood. I was a young little boy. I loved the knights of King Arthur. One year, I get Sir Lancelot as a gift. He was incredible! I had a horse, lance, sword, and was about the size of a GI Joe. Beautiful toy. So my first week with him, he was being chased by a dragon, so I buried him in my neighbor's sand box. I immediately dug him up... but I never found him!!! I have replayed it for years. I never knew what became of my cherished toy. I fear the Sarlacc Pit monster must have eaten him... rest in peace Lancelot (and Fett)!
(Written 12/13/14)
So I thought I would critique it a little bit, as well as compare to what I think I could accomplish with my hair. There are a couple that are plain impossible for me to do. My hair is heavy, thick, and coarse. It does what it wants, for the most part (especially if I showered, and then go to bed at any point within 3 hours). Also, a beard seems to go very well with an undercut. Good to know!!! Cause I can't grow one. Also, soccer and the undercut go very well together. I think the person who made this list is probably Euro, because there wasn't a single American football player on the list (of course, some of their hairstyles are simply horrendous). The individual who put the list together also has a thing for the tattoo'd and pierced (some of which are done well, others of whom the only think I found dashing at ALL about them is the hair).
So, what I got out of it is that I need a great deal of product to make my hair look as dashing as theirs. Also, a professional hair cut. I'm pretty good at doing my own short sides, longer back, long top look, but it was a huge challenge to even get a semblance of a fade going from my 3 inch front locks to my then ranging from 2-2.5 inch back/top/middle section of my head. It was a nightmare! I screwed up so many times and just said 'oh, just some layering' whenever someone noticed how choppy it was. No more doing my own fades and layers! back on topic, I need a lot of work put into my hair to make it look as good. It is work I am probably not willing to do. What that means is that I need to be winsome and handsome and wonderful some other way... gots ta learn ta wink like a champ! I guess girls like that sort of thing, too.
Also, instagram. I had no idea it was as big as it was until halfway through summer! Wow! Seemingly everyone is on it. Even the General Authorities of the LDS Church!
I also found a wonderful site call Combatant Gentleman. It also testifies that beards are cool as of this post. Pretty good suits at a great price, too. They report that they keep their mark up down (still encouraging tailoring, though) so that more men can look good... and also if you can get 3 suits for $600, the other $600 can be spent on a great suit (I don't quite get that. my suit budget hasn't even hit $500 yet). I don't even know how I got on this topic, but suits are awesome. I have been meaning to get my suits tailored for a long time. When I was in high school, off the rack suits looked aMAZing on me. 50 pounds later, I have these things called shoulders. They look great in a fitted suit, but in order to get a suit that fits my back, it swims around at my waist. If I but one that makes my hips looks great, I can't button it for fear of going all Chris Farley on it.
So, on the topic of suits, who else believes that we are forever out of the mode of men wearing suits every day? I love looking back at pictures and seeing a guy wearing slacks with a button up and s'penders WORKING IN THE GARDEN!!! Or at the beach. Or playing catch. I find that men (my self WHOLEY included in this) just don't have the class. Of course, I don't have the finances to allocate to consistently wearing suits, and I sweat really easily (I walked to work in shorts today because it crept over freezing), and I like being able to just run around or lounge in the clothes that I wear all the time. So for me, shorts/jeans and tees are the common. Maybe once I retire I can wear suits all the time...
Well this post became random! I'm going to finish with a story from my childhood. I was a young little boy. I loved the knights of King Arthur. One year, I get Sir Lancelot as a gift. He was incredible! I had a horse, lance, sword, and was about the size of a GI Joe. Beautiful toy. So my first week with him, he was being chased by a dragon, so I buried him in my neighbor's sand box. I immediately dug him up... but I never found him!!! I have replayed it for years. I never knew what became of my cherished toy. I fear the Sarlacc Pit monster must have eaten him... rest in peace Lancelot (and Fett)!
(Written 12/13/14)
Heroic Parenting!
I I found a picture... of corgis... dressed as superheros... I was giddy.
Anyway, I woke up the next day, and thought of the picture again as I was grabbing my Captain America t-shirt for a wonderful 8 hour Saturday shift. Suddenly, it hit me; I should make my kids superheros! Oh my gosh, wouldn't that be fun!!! The biggest problem with it is that tastes and preferences, change. I was die hard Gambit when I was a kid, and I still really like the guy, but (as my current wardrobe may suggest) I am a Capt. 'Murca dude now. I still am a fan of a ton of other heroes (Thor, Wolverine, Hulk has become awesome in my mind ever since I read an online thread about pitting Hulk against Thor [my vote goes Hulk], Superman [obvi], Green Lantern), but my favorite seems to change with time. I hope I stick with the Captain for a good, long time, though... I have spent far too much money on acquiring a Captain themed wardrobe.
Anyways!!! So, give each child an assignment at birth. They will be expected to live up to the character they are appointed... well, the more I talk about this, the worse of an idea it seems.
But it brings up a point; how do I encourage my kids to great things? I want them in sports, but I think they should be well rounded, so dance, gymnastics (I think it is a sport, but just not a mainstream one), singing, playing an instrument; all these will also be pushed (not forced, but pushed). I think it would be good once they are in school to set yearly goals on their birthday, and reward successes. For instance, if my son is in 7th grade and wants to learn to play hockey, a yearly goal would be to learn to skate backwards and handle a puck on blades. A 5 year old would maybe just learn to skate. Maybe it would be to memorize the Gettysburg address, or Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech. Maybe write a piano piece, or a song parody. Perhaps publish an original poem, or make Eagle scout. Whatever they want to accomplish. In addition to setting goals, I would also like to set up a system to help them accomplish their goals. Let's take Eagle scout; I would ask how many merit badges they need to earn, how many advancements remain, inquire what type of Eagle Scout Project ideas they have, and record the goal, and the steps toward accomplishing it. Tracking progress has a significant correlation with achieving success, so we would track how quickly we were moving towards completion of the goal. At the end of the year, we sit down together, look at the goals, and celebrate the completions.
I know I have quite a bit of time at the least before I even have to worry about any of this, but I got on the idea, and it stayed up in my noggin, just bouncing around, begging to be written down.
(Written 12/13/15)
Anyway, I woke up the next day, and thought of the picture again as I was grabbing my Captain America t-shirt for a wonderful 8 hour Saturday shift. Suddenly, it hit me; I should make my kids superheros! Oh my gosh, wouldn't that be fun!!! The biggest problem with it is that tastes and preferences, change. I was die hard Gambit when I was a kid, and I still really like the guy, but (as my current wardrobe may suggest) I am a Capt. 'Murca dude now. I still am a fan of a ton of other heroes (Thor, Wolverine, Hulk has become awesome in my mind ever since I read an online thread about pitting Hulk against Thor [my vote goes Hulk], Superman [obvi], Green Lantern), but my favorite seems to change with time. I hope I stick with the Captain for a good, long time, though... I have spent far too much money on acquiring a Captain themed wardrobe.
Anyways!!! So, give each child an assignment at birth. They will be expected to live up to the character they are appointed... well, the more I talk about this, the worse of an idea it seems.
But it brings up a point; how do I encourage my kids to great things? I want them in sports, but I think they should be well rounded, so dance, gymnastics (I think it is a sport, but just not a mainstream one), singing, playing an instrument; all these will also be pushed (not forced, but pushed). I think it would be good once they are in school to set yearly goals on their birthday, and reward successes. For instance, if my son is in 7th grade and wants to learn to play hockey, a yearly goal would be to learn to skate backwards and handle a puck on blades. A 5 year old would maybe just learn to skate. Maybe it would be to memorize the Gettysburg address, or Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech. Maybe write a piano piece, or a song parody. Perhaps publish an original poem, or make Eagle scout. Whatever they want to accomplish. In addition to setting goals, I would also like to set up a system to help them accomplish their goals. Let's take Eagle scout; I would ask how many merit badges they need to earn, how many advancements remain, inquire what type of Eagle Scout Project ideas they have, and record the goal, and the steps toward accomplishing it. Tracking progress has a significant correlation with achieving success, so we would track how quickly we were moving towards completion of the goal. At the end of the year, we sit down together, look at the goals, and celebrate the completions.
I know I have quite a bit of time at the least before I even have to worry about any of this, but I got on the idea, and it stayed up in my noggin, just bouncing around, begging to be written down.
(Written 12/13/15)
Missing: Good Friend
I hear that people don't change. I have thought that people don't change. But it begs the question; what does?
I have lost two dear friends in the past year. Now, both are female, and there were romantic feelings between us, and both got married. For the most part, things had been going fine. One stayed friends with me for years until after she got engaged, and then told me that we couldn't talk again, as it would be unfair. The other, after she got engaged, accused me of trying to break up the engagement and poison the family against the marriage. From these two, I lost nearly 20 years of friendship. So I ask again; what changed?
In both cases, our relationship changed once they had gotten deeper into the engagement. The later individual had come to me multiple times to screen boyfriends for her. I would simply ask for a name, jump on facebook, spend at most 10 minutes on their profile page and maybe wikipedia. I would then get back to her with my impressions, thoughts, and findings. She had never told me I was wrong about what I deduced, and even told me so many times how right I was. Recently, she meets a guy, and gets interested. I research. I have findings... but I don't share them. It turns out, I actually was connected to this fellow. So, I hold my findings. She gets engaged. I'm somewhat shocked. I knew this was someone that was commonly perceived as good; I had no evidence to the contrary. I just thought he was a bit over the top; grows a big beard, way too into adventure activities like mountain climbing, the whole family blogs (...don't hit me with that, okay? There's a reason my posts are so rare!). So, even though I would think that no one ever in the history of the world can possibly pass the stringent list of requirements I have for my friend, I veil my opinions from her. I don't want to interfere. However, her brother tells me how he thinks the fiance is a bit of a cheesy and weird guy. He vents to me about how he is somewhat disappointed in this relationship, because it will lead to him losing his sister. I open up to him as well, and tell him my impressions match his. The couple alerts us they will be home for a few days to meet her friends and family and have a bridal shower. A few weeks before their visit, I have an epiphany; it really doesn't matter how I think of this guy. In my eyes he might be corny, a tool, and undeserving of my friend, but standing there brushing my teeth I came to know that she loves him. He makes her supremely happy. That was all it took. I shared this with her brother, even, and he agreed with me. It didn't stop us from laughing at their near over the top texts and conversations (You know the ones. Think of facebook posts between a new couple, complete with too many hearts and pet names that don't make sense. Yeah, you laugh at that too... when you aren't cringing from it). Our making fun of his habits continued, but they were the same way we would laugh at a friend standing right with us. Unable to see my friend but for a few brief hours during her visit, I write her a heartfelt letter detailing this change that I had. When I give her the letter, I attempt to explain it all in person, with her brother there as well (who I asked if it was alright that I do this, and he thought it was a fine idea). I garble it a bit, but I'm open, honest and friendly. I hug her tightly, complete with an "I love ya!!" that she returns, and give her fiance a huge hug, too. I wish them the best, and head to work. A few days latter, I receive a message from her; she is seemingly furious at me. She states that I worked to attack and undermine a relationship that she has given her heart to, and that me saying (in the letter that I love her is duplicitous and horrid of me to do. Well I was very much so taken aback. I spent hours on that letter making sure it conveyed that I was so happy for her, that I supported her, and thought she had chosen, for herself, extremely well. I wished her happiness and joy, and gave her my complete blessing. What a mere 6 months previously was expected of me, and asked for, was now seen as immature and wicked. My wedding invitation was even revoked, and I am no longer any part of her life.
The other friend went somewhat along the same lines (friends, engaged, no more contact!). We had been friends all through high school, and she even wanted to ask me to homecoming. We dated afterwards. It didn't work out. I continued to volunteer at her church for Vacation Bible School, and we stayed friends. We dated other people. We kept in light touch, and maintained, at the least, a strong acquaintance. When I left for California as a missionary, I invited her and her family to my going away party, and her family came (she was out of state). I hugged them goodbye for 2 years... and was back 6 months later. I reached out to her, and when she was home a few weeks later, we went out for lunch, walking and talking for hours. We hadn't been with each other for a long time, and it was good to see her again. She told me all about going to grad school, and her boyfriend (they'd been dating a while at this point), and we had a good time. She got engaged over a year later, and I reached out to her (I'll admit, largely out of the blue) to ask if the wedding was in our home town, or over by her fiance's family (I was already certain I had not merited an invite to the wedding). After getting no response for a few days, I sent a text apologizing if it seemed invasive or insensitive of me to ask; I just like weddings. She called me and spent nearly 20 minutes telling me that we need to stop talking because it is unfair to her fiance. We had something (and that it would be lying if we pretended we didn't), but we need to move on. She repeated this all at least two, some of it four, times. I was hurt, but understanding. I wished her the best, and hung up.
So, two friends that I have given a piece of my heart to for since I was a measly 14 year old. Both, upon nearing their wedding days, threw me out of their lives. I had intended (previous to my emotional eviction from them) to invite both to my wedding (in the even that occurs before everyone I know is dead), even if I knew at least one friend probably wouldn't invite me to hers (we had a history... I wasn't one to pretend we hadn't had one). A year ago, I would not have foreseen this. I have been floored. I am hurt. I am not saying I am undeserving; I don't know what internal battles or struggles they have. I don't know the tone in which they read the letter or received my questions. I can't begin to perceive how they thought I felt. I was honest with them, but I feel something changed within them. Even though I have been cast aside from their life path, I do hope that they have wonderful, fulfilling, happy lives.
Please, if I am missing something here, tell me. Whether you agree or disagree with what I did and how I handled things, LET ME KNOW!!! I don't want to keep making the same mistakes.
(Written 12/15/2015)
I have lost two dear friends in the past year. Now, both are female, and there were romantic feelings between us, and both got married. For the most part, things had been going fine. One stayed friends with me for years until after she got engaged, and then told me that we couldn't talk again, as it would be unfair. The other, after she got engaged, accused me of trying to break up the engagement and poison the family against the marriage. From these two, I lost nearly 20 years of friendship. So I ask again; what changed?
In both cases, our relationship changed once they had gotten deeper into the engagement. The later individual had come to me multiple times to screen boyfriends for her. I would simply ask for a name, jump on facebook, spend at most 10 minutes on their profile page and maybe wikipedia. I would then get back to her with my impressions, thoughts, and findings. She had never told me I was wrong about what I deduced, and even told me so many times how right I was. Recently, she meets a guy, and gets interested. I research. I have findings... but I don't share them. It turns out, I actually was connected to this fellow. So, I hold my findings. She gets engaged. I'm somewhat shocked. I knew this was someone that was commonly perceived as good; I had no evidence to the contrary. I just thought he was a bit over the top; grows a big beard, way too into adventure activities like mountain climbing, the whole family blogs (...don't hit me with that, okay? There's a reason my posts are so rare!). So, even though I would think that no one ever in the history of the world can possibly pass the stringent list of requirements I have for my friend, I veil my opinions from her. I don't want to interfere. However, her brother tells me how he thinks the fiance is a bit of a cheesy and weird guy. He vents to me about how he is somewhat disappointed in this relationship, because it will lead to him losing his sister. I open up to him as well, and tell him my impressions match his. The couple alerts us they will be home for a few days to meet her friends and family and have a bridal shower. A few weeks before their visit, I have an epiphany; it really doesn't matter how I think of this guy. In my eyes he might be corny, a tool, and undeserving of my friend, but standing there brushing my teeth I came to know that she loves him. He makes her supremely happy. That was all it took. I shared this with her brother, even, and he agreed with me. It didn't stop us from laughing at their near over the top texts and conversations (You know the ones. Think of facebook posts between a new couple, complete with too many hearts and pet names that don't make sense. Yeah, you laugh at that too... when you aren't cringing from it). Our making fun of his habits continued, but they were the same way we would laugh at a friend standing right with us. Unable to see my friend but for a few brief hours during her visit, I write her a heartfelt letter detailing this change that I had. When I give her the letter, I attempt to explain it all in person, with her brother there as well (who I asked if it was alright that I do this, and he thought it was a fine idea). I garble it a bit, but I'm open, honest and friendly. I hug her tightly, complete with an "I love ya!!" that she returns, and give her fiance a huge hug, too. I wish them the best, and head to work. A few days latter, I receive a message from her; she is seemingly furious at me. She states that I worked to attack and undermine a relationship that she has given her heart to, and that me saying (in the letter that I love her is duplicitous and horrid of me to do. Well I was very much so taken aback. I spent hours on that letter making sure it conveyed that I was so happy for her, that I supported her, and thought she had chosen, for herself, extremely well. I wished her happiness and joy, and gave her my complete blessing. What a mere 6 months previously was expected of me, and asked for, was now seen as immature and wicked. My wedding invitation was even revoked, and I am no longer any part of her life.
The other friend went somewhat along the same lines (friends, engaged, no more contact!). We had been friends all through high school, and she even wanted to ask me to homecoming. We dated afterwards. It didn't work out. I continued to volunteer at her church for Vacation Bible School, and we stayed friends. We dated other people. We kept in light touch, and maintained, at the least, a strong acquaintance. When I left for California as a missionary, I invited her and her family to my going away party, and her family came (she was out of state). I hugged them goodbye for 2 years... and was back 6 months later. I reached out to her, and when she was home a few weeks later, we went out for lunch, walking and talking for hours. We hadn't been with each other for a long time, and it was good to see her again. She told me all about going to grad school, and her boyfriend (they'd been dating a while at this point), and we had a good time. She got engaged over a year later, and I reached out to her (I'll admit, largely out of the blue) to ask if the wedding was in our home town, or over by her fiance's family (I was already certain I had not merited an invite to the wedding). After getting no response for a few days, I sent a text apologizing if it seemed invasive or insensitive of me to ask; I just like weddings. She called me and spent nearly 20 minutes telling me that we need to stop talking because it is unfair to her fiance. We had something (and that it would be lying if we pretended we didn't), but we need to move on. She repeated this all at least two, some of it four, times. I was hurt, but understanding. I wished her the best, and hung up.
So, two friends that I have given a piece of my heart to for since I was a measly 14 year old. Both, upon nearing their wedding days, threw me out of their lives. I had intended (previous to my emotional eviction from them) to invite both to my wedding (in the even that occurs before everyone I know is dead), even if I knew at least one friend probably wouldn't invite me to hers (we had a history... I wasn't one to pretend we hadn't had one). A year ago, I would not have foreseen this. I have been floored. I am hurt. I am not saying I am undeserving; I don't know what internal battles or struggles they have. I don't know the tone in which they read the letter or received my questions. I can't begin to perceive how they thought I felt. I was honest with them, but I feel something changed within them. Even though I have been cast aside from their life path, I do hope that they have wonderful, fulfilling, happy lives.
Please, if I am missing something here, tell me. Whether you agree or disagree with what I did and how I handled things, LET ME KNOW!!! I don't want to keep making the same mistakes.
(Written 12/15/2015)
To teach!
I have recently been teaching a lot of lessons with the Sister Missionaries in my ward. It has been wonderful. I also attend the Gospel Principles class instead of Gospel Doctrine. Though I miss Br. Feinberg's wonderful lessons that extend far beyond the information found in the teaching manual, I love the simplicity of the class, and the lessons, and how I continue to be reinforced in my testimony from those lessons.
One thing I love about teaching is having to learn it. Specifically with regards to Gospel topics, I can find nuggets of truth and strength that lift me up why I am in sorrow, or empower me at a time of weakness. I have never once turned to the Lord in a plea for nourishment and been denied. I have always found an answer or a story that related to me and could point out to me "everything will be fine."
Being able to teach and testify of that even further strengthens me. I can see that changes being wrought in their life as they turn unto the Lord ever more, and rely on their testimony of Him. That is evidence to me of its truth.
(Written 12/10/15)
One thing I love about teaching is having to learn it. Specifically with regards to Gospel topics, I can find nuggets of truth and strength that lift me up why I am in sorrow, or empower me at a time of weakness. I have never once turned to the Lord in a plea for nourishment and been denied. I have always found an answer or a story that related to me and could point out to me "everything will be fine."
Being able to teach and testify of that even further strengthens me. I can see that changes being wrought in their life as they turn unto the Lord ever more, and rely on their testimony of Him. That is evidence to me of its truth.
(Written 12/10/15)
So... why am I alive?
I asked myself this question while sitting in my kitchen. I had just finished watching a movie where a character reads a great deal, so I'd originally asked why we read, incorporating my sister in the conversation. The point I came to was "to live a life that isn't mine." I later adapted it to "experience" in lieu of "live", but same basic concept. So, after coming to that answer, I asked myself "So [if I read to live a life that isn't mine]... why am I alive?" I asked this quietly, out loud, to myself, with only the dog nearby (my sister had gone away). I added (still out loud, yet hushed and to myself) "not in a 'wo is me' or 'my life isn't worth living' type deal, but simply 'if I live to experience a different live through reading, than am I actually attempting to make my own life exciting, or compelling, or worth living?" I continued to sit in my chair for a while, just staring at the ceiling. I eventually decided that an answer would not actually come to me. A grizzled genius would not make a profound statement to me that would simplify it all into a succinct single sentence that explained everything to me. No, I decided that life was worth living because I 'was.' I just needed to keep living until I looked back upon my deeds and said to myself "that was the best story I could ask for."
(Written 12/9/15)
(Written 12/9/15)
Stories
Earlier this week, I decided to run to North High School early in the morning to get some sprints in because it was 9 degrees outside. I get to the indoor track, and the basketball team is practicing, and an old man in walking. After stripping down out of my outdoor running gear, I run a few warmup laps, and then stretch for my sprints. I ran a 200 meter, and as I was walking back to the line, the elderly gent walks up to me and mentions that he use to do what I was currently doing; worked at it. He claimed he was 81 (I told him he didn't look older than 70), and shattered his hip in 2001. He went without surgery for a decade before getting it fixed. He claims his doctor is an idiot who can't figure out how the man is still alive, that he was born with a heart condition, his father was an acrobat associated with Turner Hall, and that he walks 60 minutes and stationary bikes 70 minutes daily.
The thing is, I believe this guy. He made comments regarding form and made mention of achilles tightness and shin splints in a way that persuaded me to think he had gone through it and discounted standard running as an exercise for himself. He was old, slow, and hunched over, but lively.
It made me wonder what I'll be like in 60 years...
(Written 11/22/15)
The thing is, I believe this guy. He made comments regarding form and made mention of achilles tightness and shin splints in a way that persuaded me to think he had gone through it and discounted standard running as an exercise for himself. He was old, slow, and hunched over, but lively.
It made me wonder what I'll be like in 60 years...
(Written 11/22/15)
Switching it up on us!
It is April 1st. April Fools for those with a sense of humor. I ran out the door of my house at 2:30 am to avoid such shenanigans, and headed to work.
Anyone that has read my blogs in the past probably knows I like football. While checking the Packers' website, I came to find that Vic Ketchman, the wonderful blog writer for the team, switched around the basis of his daily blog, Ask Vic. Instead of him answering the thousands of questions fans send him each day, he asked us a series of ten questions. Here are the ten questions, and my answer follows each one.
1. Did Mike McCarthy make the right decision in relinquishing the play-calling duties?
I am a huge fan of McCarthy. I wasn't when he was hired, but he has proven himself to me time and again. This latest action is cause for slight concern in my mind, however. I think that giving up the offensive play calling is going to better the defense and special teams by allowing him soend his time evenly, or fairly, between the three types of play/ers (Offense, Defense, Special Teams). I would also like to say I think Capers is a great defensive mind. I think the offense will make a step back, at worst, the defense will take a step forward, at minimum, and the Special teams will improve as well. This leads me to believe the improvement overall for the team makes it the right call.
2. Following the NFC title game in Seattle did you: A. Cry? B. Say a bad word? C. Turn off the TV and go to bed? D. Blame the play-calling? E. Blame the playing? F. Blame Lance Easley?
This is tough for me to admit... but not really. I cried. I said MANY bad words. I blamed the players. On top of all that, I turned off the TV immediately following the OT TD, went downstairs and pounded on my punching bag for a while, then changed into cold gear and did hill sprints for the next half hour. It was a bad night for me.
3. The Packers should draft: A. Inside linebacker? B. Cornerback? C. Defensive lineman? D. Tight end? E. Website editor/columnist?
I agree with Vic on this one; the Packers should draft BAP. Now depending on who is available at pick 30, I can't say for certain who we should draft. I am heavily leaning defense, though. Overall, I think we should be looking at drafting (In order of importance in my opinion)
ILB (Paul Dawson, Denzel Perryman, Benardrick McKinney, Eric Kendricks, Laurenzo Mauldin)
CB (Marcus Peters, Jalen Collins, Kevin Johnson, PJ Williams, Ronald Darby, Byron Jones, Josh Shaw)
DL (Eddie Goldman, Carl Davis, Michael Bennett)
OL (Andrus Peat, La'el Collins, Ereck Flowers, Jake Fisher, Laken Tomlinson)
TE (Maxx Williams, Clive Walford)
RB (Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, Jeremy Langford)
OLB (Bud Dupree, Owamagbe Odighuidzwa,Eli Harold, Shaq Thompson, Danielle Hunter, Laurenzo Mauldin)
S
WR
QB
4. Packers fans: A. Are the best? B. Are the worst? C. Are overrated? D. Have the longest arms? E. Don’t make enough noise?
Of course I'm going to say "A"!!! But really, I think that the Pack's fans are definitely some of the best in the US, if not the world.
5. Free agency is a trap for fools: A. Agree? B. Disagree?
Agree, to an extent. Free agency is not where it should be expected to build a championship team. It is a great place to get one or two players to plug a hole while young players grow into roles. It is almost never worth the cost. Even in video games i avoid free agency and try and negotiate all my guys before it gets to that point.
6. Will the Packers win the NFC North in 2015?
Yes. I am always afraid the Bears will figure out they are better than they have played and win some games, but everyone else is too much in flux to be a huge challenge for the division. If the Pack is healthy, they are North champs.
7. The Packers’ leading receiver in 2015 will be: A.
Jordy will lead in yards, Cobb in receptions.
8. Should
NO! I think he should play most of his snaps at OLB, with some time at ILB. Players, not plays. He is going to get after the quarterback or ball carrier anyway, but his sacking ability is maximized outside. Get some big hitters inside (McKinney, maybe give Perry a try.)
9. If the Wisconsin Badgers win the NCAA basketball championship, should
Meh, I don't care.
10. What do you dislike most about Vic: A. He’s a Steelers fan? B. He’s mean to people? C. He doesn’t pronounce Green Bay the right way? D. He’s a know-it-all? E. He tells me what he thinks instead of what I think?
I think the worst would be 'know-it-all' esque. I got into a debate with him where I used statistics to back up my argument, and he hasn't answered a question of mine since. I mean, I have never made the page, but he doesn't even respond to my emails now. I think he may have blocked me, but that is okay. I don't like it, but what's a guy to do! I really like how he maintains who he is as a Steelers fan while writing for the Packers. Respect!
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