Random Musings Again

I've had a pretty long day, which means that I've had a ton of time to think about things.  Here we go.

1.  How in the world does a car break so bad it crashes into hundreds of gallons of jet fuel?  No wonder oil prices are up.

2.  Leap Day is almost over.  Which means it's a long countdown to the end of Black History Month.  Or, as I like to call it, "Let's Give Them Something So They Leave Us Alone" Month.  When are we going to acknowledge people for doing awesome things without mentioning their race, color, or creed?

3.  Eddie told me to do something with his catfish nuggets, so I'm baking them with some rice.  I'm officially a Real Housewife of Roanoke City.  All I need is a table to flip and some hair extensions.

4.  Anyone who didn't catch Biggest Loser last night missed the birth of a man.  Chism put it down.  Finally, an adult on the show.

5.  Speaking of that show, I kinda want Bob Harper from Biggest Loser to read the paper to me.  You know he hung out at the ethnic hair salons growing up.  I think he and Dolvett have the same momma.

6.  I'm very sad that I missed Edgar vs Henderson.

7.  No wonder I'm single, I don't use enough Axe in my daily routine.  You think if they made an Axe toothpaste, you could become the world's best kisser?

8.  I have to thank God for helping me find my wallet at the Kroger parking lot tonight.  The little things people, you have to talk to God about everything.

9.  I'm really glad VIBE 100 has a clearer station that I can hear.  I love my mix of gospel, neo-soul, and R&B.  If you live in Roanoke, 97.7.

10.  My fast of soda for Lent is going swimmingly.  God is really helping me through this.

11.  I honestly love my church so much.  Such good people who love God and love everyone else.

12.  You ever notice how gangsta you become when you drive a car.  You lean a little bit, play some hip hop louder than normal, and get a bit of a swag about you.  I remember my middle school classmates who were Mega-Rednecks instantly becoming hip hop fans the minute they got their license.  Hilarious.

13.   I want to punch whoever invented yogurt in a tube straight in the face.  That could be the most useless idea ever.  I've probably harped on that before, but it bears repeating, over and over.

That's all I got for you guys.  Hopefully you've enjoyed these musings, and if you have any of your own, leave them in comment section.

My Biggest Frustration

Today, my co-workers and I had a relatively short conversation about politics in America.  I said that I don't feel right voting for any candidate right now because of how they are behaving.  I do not claim a party.  There are things I agree with the Republicans on, however there are also things I agree with the Democrats on.  I also disagree with both parties on a lot of things.  However, the biggest disagreement I have is their ridiculous party loyalty.  It seems like more and more often than not, nothing gets done in America simply because the majority in Congress is the opposite party of the president.  

The Congress thinks to themselves, "Hey, if we refuse to vote for a particular issue, no matter how intelligent it is, we can say that the president isn't getting anything done."  This has been happening since the mid-90s.  It's terrible how these politicians tell us all about how they are here for us, yet knock down every idea that comes about.  It doesn't help that there are news outlets that just crush the party they don't support.  It makes everyone look bad.  There's more blame shifting and finger pointing among adults than among the kindergartners I have work with in public schools.  Not only that, these news outlets are corrupting good natured people into thinking that everything is someone's fault.  People just blindly follow one news network or another.  It's maddening that people don't do enough research.  I don't feel like the networks do enough fact sharing.  It's all opinion.

Here are some tips to being informed:

1. Stop getting your facts from places of opinion.  

I know it's hard to get facts all the time.  However it's much easier on your brain if you stop getting your facts from television and radio talk show hosts.  

2.  Ask other people from other walks of life what they think.

Before you go around accusing people on welfare of being drug abusers and lazy miscreants, why don't you ask them how they got there.  Before you go about whining about how someone who worked their tails off to get what they got in life of being greedy, why don't you ask them how they became richer than you.  Maybe see if they have any job openings.  Then climb the ladder and be as successful.  Before you call someone who had an abortion a murderer, ask them about their life.  Maybe if you were there to support them and guide them instead of judging them, you could have been a testimony to them.  Food stamps doesn't mean lazy, it means they just don't make enough to cover essentials.  Instead of judging, how about...I don't know, donating food to them.

3.  Racism and political parties are not interchangeable.

Just annoying that being a part of a party means racist.  Sad that a Black Republican is automatically pegged as a sell out.  Just as sad that Democrat is somehow synonymous with lazy blacks who want a hand out.  Should never peg something for the sake of pegging.  Ask questions first, please.

4.  Twitter isn't the best place to make political statements.

Twitter is horrible to begin with.  I mean seriously, learn to put your thoughts into something more meaningful.  Twitter should not be the basis for your political stance in life, nor should it be your platform to discuss your politics.  Discuss stuff face to face with people.

Well, that's my blog for the day.  Try to be more diligent in how you form your political stance.  Some people are doing it all wrong.

Why I Didn't Post on Sunday

First of all, to those who were anticipating my blog yesterday, I'm sorry.  I decided that Sunday was going to be dedicated to chilling out.  Sometimes, my brain needs a break.  Well, Sunday is that break.  So from now on, I will not be posting on my blog on Sundays.  You can always feel free to read past blogs, send me some comments, or actually subscribing so you can get email alerts.

Today, I just want to enjoy my weekend again.  I actually got blessed with the opportunity to do an interview.  It was at a job fair.  Nothing too specific, just a talk with people about any job that may come about.  One of the questions they asked me was, "Why should we hire you over everyone else?"  Could that not be the most loaded question ever?  I wasn't sure how to respond.  I basically said that if they wanted someone with a heart and soul for kids and making kids better, they'd hire me.  Not sure if anything will come out of it.  All of that is in God's hands.

I also got to see many people get baptized at my church yesterday.  It was so great to see people getting closer to God.  I was so blessed to be a part of that service.  I miss church being like that.  People coming to God and enjoying what God has done for them.  I shake my head at some Christians nowadays who drag themselves to church.  It seems like most of the people I go to church with (and I say most only because I haven't watched every single person come in the doors at once) enjoy coming.

I'm trying to be a little more academic and use paragraphs to separate my thoughts.  It seems to result in a cleaner blog.  I'm glad people send suggestions for the blog.  Makes me a much better blogger.

This entry became more of a recap of things.  Interesting how my mind works.  I think the best part about this blog is that there are people from all over the country, and many different countries reading it.  Some are even sharing it with others.  It's humbling to know that so many people are reading what I have to say.  It kind of puts a burden of responsibility to make this blog as encouraging as possible.  Although, sometimes I have to tell people how wrong they are.  Like their music choices.  LMFAO?  Really?

When Does It End?

This story has been kind of on the back burner as of late, but it's now coming to the forefront again.  It's about the Rutgers student who secretly filmed his roommate's sexual encounter with another man and streamed all over the internet for random people to observe.  The roommate subsequently ended his own life.  The case is basically a battle of whether this roommate's actions caused the suicide.  Trying to figure out if this is a basic case of an embarassed person killing himself or a true hate crime.  Regardless of your feelings about homosexuality, the underlying problem is that someone had the nerve and the gall to videotape someone doing something private.  There is nothing on this planet that gives anyone the right to do such things.  This epidemic of bullying is getting ridiculous.  What happened to our society?  We cry and whine all the time about tolerance and acceptance, and then people do this junk?  The thing that makes it worse this is mostly happening online.  It's happening online because people are too gutless to look someone in the eye when they want to cause problems.  What happened to the days when people settled things under the willow trees after school?  I'm not condoning fighting.  I'm condoning courage.  I'm condoning manhood.  I'm condoning being a human being and coming to the person you have an issue with instead of picking on them behind a computer monitor.  I'm just wondering why this roommate felt the need to film his roommate's encounter.  I wonder what he was wanting to see that made him violate privacy.  There are way too many cowards on this planet.  Bullying is getting to be a problem.  However I have to point out that simply speaking out about something is not bullying, nor is it a hate crime.  When you push people around because they're different, that's being a bully and committing a hate crime.  That's when you're a coward in my book.  It's time for people to stand up to bullies.  It's time for people to put bullies in their place.  When you see someone being bullied, rally around that person.  Who cares why they're being bullied, just stop it. The more you stop it, the more it goes away.  Put your foot down.  Stop this epidemic.  I hope this guy gets his comeuppance.  I hope he goes to jail for a long time for violating his roommate's privacy.  I would hope he'd go to jail even if the roommate didn't commit suicide.  Too many cowards on this planet for my liking.  Let's bring guts back to America.  We fought an oppressive king in the 1700s, a horrible institution in the 1800s, ironically we fought against racism and hate in World War 2, and against the worst attack on our country in the 2000s.  Yet we are doing terrible things to our fellow Americans just because they're different?  I miss manhood.

Are We Doing It Right?

Before I start what I want to say, I want to share a video with you.  It's from a recent episode of ESPN First Take.  It's a discussion about a quote from Denver Bronco Brady Quinn about his teammate Tim Tebow.  It's fairly long at 22 minutes, but if you want to get to my particular topic, go to the 13:45 point of the video.  After you watch it, scroll down for my reaction.



Alright, you saw it.  Here's my reaction to it.  It's absolutely sickening and maddening that another person would criticize the faith of another person.  It's doubly, maybe even triply maddening that it's a fellow self-professing Christian who is doing this.  Our job as Christians is to go and teach all nations.  It's commonly called The Great Commission.  We are called to share our love for Christ and Christ's love for us everyday.  We are to be fishers of men.  We are to be a lamp on a hill, not under a bushel.  It's sad that Christians have to hide their faith to keep the "embarrassment" down.  Christ says that if you're ashamed of me, He doesn't know you.  That's what's happening in our society.  Too many Christians are ashamed of their love for Christ.  They try to keep themselves looking like the world so they can fit in.  We're not called to fit in.  We're called to stand out.  And now we have fellow Christians telling someone doing what God wants him to do to "tone it down"?  No.  It's not right.  I'm not a perfect Christian.  Sometimes, I screw up royally and bring shame to my Lord's name.  However, I will never deny my Lord.  For another Christian to look at Tim Tebow as a detriment to Christ's name, pity on them.  Before anyone comes at me, I'm not judging.  I just know that if God wants you to share His name, you had better do it.  Tim Tebow has been given a tremendous platform to share Christ with anyone within sight or earshot of him.  He's doing what he's supposed to be doing.  To fault him for that is a terrible sin.  The children's group that I work in on Sunday nights is called AWANA. It stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.  If Brady Quinn, Kurt Warner, and other people want to tell Tebow to scale it down, their shame to approval ratio isn't where it needs to be.

A huge thank you to Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith for bringing this subject to light on national television.  I'm thankful to them for defining what we as Christians should be doing as Jesus Himself defined it on a worldwide level.

A Lesson in Forgiveness

I think the planet can learn a little something about forgiveness from an unlikely source.  If you're not familiar with the story, here it is.  Basically, talentless singer Chris Brown was dating even less talented, but more successful singer Rhianna.  A couple of years ago, there was a dispute between the two the night before the Grammys.  The result was Rhianna being beaten up by Brown in their car.  When pictures came out that displayed the horrific results, people were pretty much calling for Brown's head on a platter.  The result was him doing tons of community service and a huge hit to his reputation.  Now, he's still selling records and making tons of money.  It's an insane thought that someone can reach a relative amount of success even after that terrible incident.  Now here's the kicker, there is rumor that Brown and Rhianna are dating each other again.  There seems to be a heavy amount of disapproval of this recent turn of events.  People from all walks of life are going all crazy over this girl dating the man that put her in the hospital.  However there are two people that have to forgive Brown for his actions against Rhianna, God and Rhianna.  Rhianna has evidently forgiven him for his sins and believes he is contrite and genuine.  Who are we to fault her for that?  How dare any of us tell a woman who she can and can't forgive.  How dare any of us tell someone what she can forgive someone for.  We've all been forgiven by Christ for our evils.  Some people are holding on to far less sins than a random beat down in a car.  People need to stop holding on to things that happened in the past.  There are some wonderful people suffering and being held hostage by the sins of other people that the people they love haven't forgiven.  How dare you let a good person suffer for the sins of others.  I was a victim of someone's lack of forgiveness.  Someone from way back when hurt them badly, and to this day, they haven't been able to forgive that person.  The result is years of suffering, anger, and blame shifting.  Don't let that happen to someone you care about.  Forgive them.  I believe you are to forgive others, however remember.  Not holding it over their heads, but keeping your guard up just enough to not repeat history again.  So if Rhianna wants to forgive Chris Brown for his horrible actions, that's her right.  She took a step that a lot of people won't do for crimes far less intrusive.  Maybe you should take lessons from her.  In forgiveness, not singing.  She's terrible.

Trying Something New

So I have decided to do something I haven't really done before.  I'm observing the 40 day period known as Lent.  Now it's more of a Catholic thing, but it can be done by anyone looking to improve who they are.  It's a time of fasting something of luxury and pleasure.  Some people give up the Internet.  Others give up television.  Some go smaller with certain foods.  I have decided to give up soda for the 40 day period.  Lent is observed from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.  So basically, I have to avoid sodas for a pretty long time.  I'm sure I can do it, but it's going to take a dependence on God.  That's what Lent is about.  It's a fast.  Fasting is an experience that calls on the believer to rely on God.  God is an integral part of my life.  He guides me and teaches me how to live.  This fast will get me to pray to God for strength.  You really think that not drinking soda would be an easy thing to do.  However, when you've relied on it for a long time to give you energy and wake you up, it's tougher than it looks.  So everyday, I'm going to talk to God.  Ask Him to help me stay awake and alert.  Ask Him to give me the will power to not buy a soda when it's so convenient to do.  Sodas are cheap at the store.  I can get a soda for 75 cents at Kroger.  Sometimes cheaper at other places.  Eddie buys like 5 six packs of soda when he goes shopping.  It's in vending machines everywhere.  Shoot, there's a vending machine at church.  Point being, it's a little harder to avoid than you would imagine.  It comes with a combo at McDonalds.  God is really going to have to be there for me.  He is, but I have to let Him be there, too.  That's a big problem I have at times.  I forget how to let God take charge.  So this Lent season, it's all about me being better at letting God be God in my life.  Pray for me.

Inflatable Playgrounds

I know what I want for Christmas and my 4 year anniversary of turning 29.  I want a party at an inflatable playground.  Oh my gosh, I cannot tell you the joy that came from playing on that thing today.  The place has a giant slide, a huge obstacle course, an octagon with balls in it, and a smaller obstacle course.  My class went to a place called Pump It Up today for a field trip.  I had so much fun.  Really brought out the inner child in me.  While all the outer children were having fun, my inner child was just as excited.  Here's a tip, wear those slipper socks with the grippies on the bottom.  You can move a little better.  Also, don't challenge me to a one on one race through the obstacle course.  I will win.  I just wish I could have raced everyone.  However I had to chase a kid who used the bathroom and drank water more than a camel.  I was bothered by my teammates' performances in the relay race.  That's neither here nor there.  Sometimes, you have to just have fun.  In life, there are times where you need to just enjoy what's going on.  Ferris Bueller taught us that in the 80s.  He taught us that again during the Super Bowl.  Am I allowed to say Super Bowl?  Oh well.  Truth is, there are times where people over the age of 25 just forget how to just take a second to enjoy the life God has given them.  My fellow Christians in particular can be really bad about not having fun.  Sometimes, we forget that we have teeth and they should be used for smiling, not gritting and snarling.  To see the smiles of not only the kids, but my co-workers as well shows us that life can be fun in this hustle and bustle.  What's that phrase all you chicks use on Facebook all the time?  Dance like no one's watching, or something like that.  Do that.  Sometimes you just have to forget that people are watching you and play.  The ones that matter won't mind your silliness, the ones that mind your silliness don't matter.  Dr. Seuss said that, I think.  We just need to stop being sticks in the mud.  Start taking life by the hand and dancing with it.  There is a time to be serious, but don't let serious take over your life.  Leave your heart open to laughter, joy, silliness, and fart jokes.  Nothing wrong with a fart joke.  It's a gas.

Failure to Communicate

Over the weekend there was a bit of controversy over a phrase used by a writer and a sportsanchor.  Everyone is flipping out over this Jeremy Lin kid.  With good reason, he's playing very well.  However after a loss by the Knicks, the phrase "Chink in the Armor" was used to describe the loss.  Now normally, that's just an expression saying that there was a weakness discovered by an opponent.  However, Jeremy Lin is of Asian descent.  That makes things a bit difficult.  An editor for ESPN's mobile website used the line as a title for the article on the loss.  An anchor for ESPN used the phrase in passing.  Now I don't think that either case was meant to be hateful or racist at all.  However, I have to question using "chink" in an article or story about an Asian person.  That's just a lack of thinking.  The ESPN anchor actually has an Asian wife, so he should have definitely known better than to use that word.  I understand that political correctness is running wild to almost nauseating proportions, we have be careful as to what we say.  I'm not saying we have to edit everything we ever say or type, I'm just saying be smarter about your choices of words.  Yes, this world of PC doesn't allow you to say anything that could be considered offensive.  And yes I find PC to be annoying.  We just need to make sure we're not being dumb.

While I'm on the subject, I have to say this.  We have to stop putting different nationalities and races in particular stereotypes.  We shouldn't be surprised that an Asian-American kid can play basketball.  We shouldn't be shocked to see a Caucasian rapper blowing up the charts.  An African-American that is well spoken shouldn't be some kind of exception to the rule.  In fact, we shouldn't really go about defining people as races.  It's been scientifically proven that there really is no such thing as race.  There are just levels of melanin that certain people have.  I have an abundance of it.  WWE wrestler Sheamus has a severe lack of it.
 
We're all pretty much the same with some or more melanin.  Black History Month, as novel of a concept as it is, is diluted.  We're taking some of the greatest history in the world and relegating it to one month that has 28 or 29 days in it.  Not a good look.  We should celebrate America's history all year long.  We should be excited to hear about such influential people as George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, and others everyday.  It's kind of pathetic that we have to put black history into some sort of compartment.  I understand that there would be a good bit of revisionist history if Black History Month wasn't created.  However those days aren't necessarily long gone, but they are dwindling.  Let's start being excited over the history of our country.  Let's just enjoy the fact that we are blessed to be in a country full of visionaries and inventors.  People who improved our ways of living, regardless of their amount of melanin.

Cookie Cutter Critters

So a while back I joined that website plentyoffish.com.  I can honestly say that that place is chock full of weirdos.  Not all are weirdos, but a good 84.3% of the women on that site have more issues than the New York Times.  You know what the funny thing is, they all claim to want the same things.  They all want a country boy that doesn't play games.  News flash honey, most country boys can't operate a computer.  That's why they're called country boys.  Also, a lot of the guys on that site are game players to begin with.  That's why they're on that site, to find girls that will date them despite their game playing.  I went on there to see how the other half lives, you know, the unapologetically desperate.  They live just like I thought, crazy.  I'm going to give you some tips to make yourself seem more attractive and worth the time of classy guys' like me.

1.  Don't take pictures of yourself dressed like a complete prostitute and then claim that you're "not that kind of girl."  If I dressed like a cop, citizens would ask me to protect them and they would be sorely disappointed when they realize I'm just dressed like a cop.  Same with dressing all hooker-ish.

2.  Stop asking for swag.  Swag doesn't pay bills unless you're Tyson Beckford.  Actually, I don't think he's been relevant in years...so swag doesn't pay any bills.

3.  As I said before, country boys can't operate a toaster, let alone a computer.

4.  Use whole words.  Look, guys like me like to read whole words and have security in their future mate being able to spell on a 2nd grade level.  So feel free to try to be more intelligent.

5.  Try not to be too picky.  I mean yes you should try to get with a man that has all his teeth.  However you should not be upset if the dude isn't making six figures.  If he's making six figures, he's not on plentyoffish.com.  He has a hotter woman than you that's taking all his money.

6.  Be mature and type back to people.  It's just rude to completely ignore someone who takes the time to say something nice about you.  Now if he has one of those short sentences that asks you to do something unsavory, by all means ignore him.  But a genuine kind hearted response...be mature.

7.  Don't mock the website.  You're on it for a reason.  You're probably looking at me like I'm mocking, but I'm not.  I'm just stating what goes on.  I'm on it because you never know who you may meet.  Although I am slowly losing faith in women of the opposite sex with every wretched profile.

8. StOp TyPiNg LiKe ThIs.  It makes you look like you have a tap dancing parakeet on your caps lock button.  If there is one thing I hate, it's a tap dancing parakeet.  Can never trust a tap dancing parakeet.

9.  Don't do the duck face.  I don't care how beautiful you are or think you are, that's a party foul right there.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'll just type BANG in a message and say DUCK HUNT!  That goes for Facebook photos too.



Those duck faces...gag me.

My life on a website isn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.  Hence the blog.

A New Round of Random Musings

Today's the day I just blurt out what's on my mind.  Proceed with caution.

1.  Shark Tank is an awesome show.  I want Kevin O'Leary to be my rich uncle.

2. The older kids get, the older I get.  I'm going to need everyone that I've ever coached, taught, or led to stop growing now.  Thanks.

3. I kind of want to start my own restaurant, run it into the ground, then call Gordon Ramsay to save me. Although I have a feeling that the first second Chef Ramsay swears at me, my mother will be there with a baseball bat.

4.  Snow will come when God wants it to come.  Quit bugging Him about snow and start asking Him to give our government wisdom to lead our country.  Priorities, people.

5.  I love taking long walks around Roanoke.  Kind of gets me closer to God and a decent fighting weight.

6.  So Jeremy Lin loses his first game as a starter and he's the worst basketball player ever.  Umm, how about The Knicks lost to the Hornets.  Let's go with that.

7.  This week I get to go play on an inflatable playground, watch wrestling with friends, and best of all...THE BEST OF ALL, I get to teach Sunday School for the youngsters.  I'm really excited about the opportunity.  God is too good.

8.  I kinda wish I had a bathroom in my basement.  The backyard gets cold when I don't feel like going upstairs.

9.  Every time I watch Ravishing Rick Rude on WWE Classics on Demand, I realize how stinking awesome he was in the ring.  he brought the Ultimate Warrior to a decent match.  That's a miracle.

10.  Found out that the voting station for my town is within walking distance.  How about that?

11.  Donating plasma is quite fun as long as you don't look at the needle going into your arm.  And whoever that blonde lady is that stuck me today, she's great.  Wonderful bedside manner.

12.  KJ-52 is a good artist.  You should get one of his CDs.  In fact, I feel like posting one of his songs right now.



Anyway, those are my thoughts.  Have fun with them.

Back in the Day

I wasn't really thinking about what to type about today.  However tonight I had the fortunate opportunity of going to the Three Rivers District Championships in Christiansburg, VA.  It was a fun experience.  However the games were only half the story.  A long time ago, I coached basketball for the Glenvar Youth Boosters in Roanoke County.  I coached for 5 years.  I coached 9-10 year old boys for 2 years, 11-12 year old boys for 1 year, and 11-12 year old girls for two years.  Tonight, I got to see some of the kids I coached all grown up.  Well, at least older than they were when I coached them.  Two of the players I coached played in the championship games.  It was awesome to see how far they've come from when I coached them.  I couldn't be more proud.  However more than that, I saw many other kids that I coached in the stands and taking statistics. It was amazing to see them all older and wiser.  They all were happy to see me.  Sometimes you ask yourself how much of a blessing you're being.  Then you get your answer a couple of years later.  Seeing their joy of seeing their old coach.  Sometimes you have to thank God for the little opportunities you get.  I took up coaching simply because I love kids and basketball.  Teaching kids the game of basketball makes me happy.  Showing them little tricks I've learned.  Encouraging them everyday.  Telling them how special they are and how good they are.  Their parents are proud of them, too.  That makes me happy.  Seeing proud parents tell me that their child was better as a person and a player because of you brings a sense of pride and joy to your life.  It's like God says, "You're doing well.  I'm proud of you."  I know we're supposed to store up our treasures in Heaven and not on Earth.  However, I don't think God minds if someone on Earth tells you you're doing well.  I miss basketball.  I'd love to go back and coach it again.  However, if referees are going to be as bad as the referees I saw tonight...I could get banned.

I Have Found Dairy Bliss

A while back, I got a coupon for a dollar off 10 cups of Yoplait yogurt.  I paid basically about 5 bucks, might have even been four bucks.  I decided to get a variety of flavors.  Key Lime Pie, Boston Creme Pie, and Orange Creme were among the flavors I picked up.  Well I have to say that I found my flavor.  I found the yogurt that I will consume for pretty much the rest of my life.  Yoplait Light Raspberry Lemonade, you are my new best friend.  I did love Orange Creme for a while, however Raspberry Lemonade is tremendous.  It's like heaven in my mouth.  It made me so excited when I tasted it.  I can't believe I let that flavor pass through the gateway.  If you want to experience this happiness that I have, feel free to buy some.  I'll buy ten of those cups next time I have a coupon.  I know I'm getting kind of hyped over some yogurt, but man that stuff was good.  Also on the list of awesome things is wing dings from Food Lion.  That stuff should be transformed into currency.  I bet enough of those things could help Greece in their financial peril.  Kroger's fried chicken is pretty good too.  I love food.  Food makes me happy.  I'm not addicted to it.  It doesn't define me.  However God made food for us to enjoy.  No reason to deny ourselves of it.  I've seen so many weird diets and fads.  I remember when everyone and their mother said carbs were bad.  How dumb are they?  Carbs are energy.  Energy helps you exercise.  That Atkins diet, dumbest idea ever.  I heard he died a food related death but was thrown out of his window to make it look like he slipped on ice.  South Beach Diet, psh.  The best diet is not eating too much and then moving.  Take a walk.  Play ball with your kids.  Stop being lazy.  That's the best diet ever.  Being active and not being a freaking pig.

There you go, my plan for being healthy.

Now, to find more of that awesome yogurt.

So Sick and Tired

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much done with this whole idea that everything has to be infinitely more expensive than they ought to be.  I'm looking at these whole Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, just to see what they do differently.  The only thing I can come up with is that they rip your wallet a new one with the price.  Who in the world would pay 300 dollars for some headphones.  They have headphones at Wal-Mart for like 5 bucks.  Big Lots has them for even cheaper, I bet.  Look, I understand wanting the best out of your music, but give me a break.  Gas prices are even worse.  I just got a vehicle.  I'm overwhelmingly thankful for the vehicle.  However what I'm not thankful for is the price of gas going up 40 cents a gallon since I got the thing.  My car is pretty decent on gas, and I don't really go many places.  However there is no reason for gas to be over 3 bucks a gallon ever.  In fact, it shouldn't be over 2 bucks a gallon.  My friend who has a family member in the gas station business said that by law, the gas stations have a floor that they cannot go lower than on their prices.  It's a shame because I know a lot of guys would probably try to make their prices lower to A) bring in more customers and B) come off looking good for their customers.  I know I would have 1 dollar a gallon pumps just for the heck of it.  And it's gone to everything we buy now.  Bread's more expensive than ever.  Milk is horribly expensive.  Some stores sell milk for like 4 bucks a gallon.  They even raised the price of school lunch by a dime.  A whole dime, man...come on.  Like nothing is sacred or cheap anymore.  I remember when I bought general admission tickets to two wrestling pay per view events and they cost 15 bucks.  Now...shoot, 15 bucks can get you a foam belt for kids.  People talk about the economy going bad.  They say that it's because consumers aren't buying anymore.  No, it's because you're charging an arm and a leg for everything.  I was unfortunate to not have a ready supply of arms and legs at my disposal to get things.  So shape up and help me get stuff I want.  I'm surprised they haven't charged me for the air I breathe.  Although I'm sure if the government found a way to tax breathing, they'd do it.

"Hey, why is Tyrone on the floor gasping for air?"

 "He's late on his air bill."

 "Shame."

Stop Being Sad

Seems like there is an overwhelming sadness of people today.  Seems like there is some sort of expectation of what their lives should be in comparison to what their lives are.  People are upset and bothered over the lack of a special someone on Valentine's Day.  Seems like people are seeing other couples mingling and what not and it brings them sadness that they don't have someone like that in their lives.  I have a message for you folks.  It's okay.  God sometimes doesn't give you that person you need to be with on the day where everyone celebrates said relationships.  Sometimes, it's a day to just show love to everyone else.  It's a day to reflect on how much you are loved by God and others.  Yes I know that Valentine's Day is a ridiculous corporate holiday that causes people to spend way too much money just to prove their undying love for others.  However, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't share our love with others.  It just means that we should do it more because we want to, not because society or Hallmark tells us to.  We should strive to love and care for each other everyday for the simple fact that God tells us to.  I would say because of human decency, but there really isn't a ton of human decency.  Just watch the Grammys if you don't believe me.  Look, I know that having a special someone in your life is very important.  However having a life that is special and being someone special is much more important.  It's so bothersome to see how broken up people are about being single.  Being single is a blessing.  It's a chance to reflect on your life.  It's a chance to look at your life and figure out how to make yourself better.  Then when you get older and further along, you can be a better person to that eventual special someone.  Don't keep beating yourself up over your singleness.  God has someone for you.  Take this day to giggle at the silly belief that being with someone is the only way to be.  Trust me, I had a girlfriend last year around this time.  She ended up being a loon and I'm way better for not being with her anymore.  Sometimes all that glitters ain't gold.  Sometimes the silver lining comes through that dark cloud.  Keep your heads up.  Oh and if you are in a relationship, be happy you're in it.  However you're not better than anyone else either.  Stop being obnoxious.  Stop asking why someone is single and be happy someone likes you enough to stay with you.  Because personally, if someone was obnoxious to the point that they have to ask why someone is single, I probably wouldn't want to date you anyway.

Time to Move On

Seems to be a lot of craziness going on about one thing.  This past Saturday, we lost a legendary artist named Whitney Houston.  I grew up on Whitney.  I remember seeing her sing and thinking how eerily similar she looked to my mother.  Well, I didn't think about the eerie part because I didn't know what that word meant when I was 7.  I always thought she was beautiful and talented.  Her voice was so powerful and soulful, yet she was fun enough to be a pop star.  However, she had a lot of demons.  She did a lot of drug abuse that ultimately caused her to lose face with the world.  She seemed to be doing better, however the damage was already done.  However, the thing that bothers me is the crazy idol worship that's happened since her death.  I love my friends on Facebook, I truly do.  However, I've seen so many statuses and tweets about Whitney and how they miss, love, and idolize her.  No need for that.  There's no need for us to get all saddened by the loss of someone we have no idea who they are.  Especially when there are soldiers in our armed forces who die everyday on the field of battle.  There are people who die of cancer, AIDS, hunger, and drunk drivers everyday.  We don't need to spend all our energy wishing for a singer to come back when there are family members grieving the loss of their child, sibling, spouse, or parent due to something terrible like a disease or untimely death.  We need to stop idolizing famous people who die and start honoring those who sacrifice.  Look, I'm sad over Whitney's death, I truly am.  I was saddened to see her die and I feel awful for her family for losing someone special to them.  But you say your words and move on.  Don't dwell on the death and turn them into some sort of god.  I can't help but think about the death of Michael Jackson.  It was saddening to see him go.  However the idol worshipping of him made it unbearable to turn on the television for about 2 weeks.  Whitney's music is being celebrated, however she was a punchline not even a week ago.  So not only is she being worshipped, she's being worshipped by people who had no interest in her well being just a week ago.  So do you really miss the woman or do you just like to be seen as a caring person when you're not.  It's bothersome to me.  Like I said, I understand being sad over the death of someone you liked to listen to or watch on television.  Let's just not get ridiculous with it with the overwhelming worship of said person.  A simple statement is all you need.

Unless you promise to do the same for our troops, victims of senseless crimes, and those who perish due to diseases like cancer and the like.

My Personal Bucket List

So I kind of have a bucket list.  Up until now, I've never bothered to write it down.  Mostly because it changes every year.  One year I seriously had, "be in the cast of Saved by the Bell."  I didn't call it a bucket list back then, just called it, "stuff I want to do before I die."  Here is my bucket list as of now.  It's pretty wide open and subject to change at any time.

1.  Own Every Saved by the Bell on DVD.
If I'm not going to be joining Kelly, Zack, and Screech on the show, the least I can do is own the DVD.  And no I'm not illegally downloading it.  You can't whine about being the 99%, claim the rich are stealing from the poor, and then steal.  It's hypocritical.

2.  Be a Published Author
I already wrote the book.  I just have to illustrate it and then have it published.  I want my opinions, creativity, and thoughts to be brought to the world.

3.  Own and Relearn the Clarinet or Bass Clarinet
I played the bass clarinet in middle school.  I was really really really good at it, too.  Ask my friend Thom Watson.  I had to give it back because it was rented from the school.  It hurt because I could have done some pretty awesome things with it.  If I ever get the money and the time, I'm bringing clarinet sexy back.

4.  Go on ONE date with a Famous Female
This is where the bucket list gets a little tough to accomplish.  I just want to go on one date with someone relatively famous.  It could be a local beauty queen, a TV news reporter, or a cute local politician.  I just want to say that I dated so-and-so at least once.  If it's Rudy Huxtable or Punky Brewster, I'll cry.  And probably call them Rudy or Punky throughout the entire date.

5.  Visit Colorado, Vancouver, or the Caribbean
My mom went on a cruise to The Bahamas, and I'm legit jealous.  I want to see those crystal blue waters at least once.  I've seen Vancouver on television.  It is legitimately one of the prettiest places ever created.  It's almost unfair that Canada gets the luxury of having that city in their arsenal of things they do better than America.  Of course the only other things they have are moose and hockey.  I want to see Vancouver up close and personal.  As far as Colorado is concerned, one of my best friends lives there and I want to hang out with her.  And meet her racist dad just once to see if he'd truly try to shoot me.

6. Get on One More Game Show
I was on Wheel of Fortune back in 2006.  It was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.  I met Pat Sajak and Vanna White, had millions of people see me on television, and got some cash from it.  It was a blast.  I want to do it again.  I tried the Jeopardy test twice.  I probably won't make it there.  Price is Right is too much of a crap shoot, same with Let's Make a Deal.  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is a legit opportunity.  I'm smarter than pretty much all those people on that show.

7.  Own My Own Home
I'd love to say that one day, I will own a house.  It could happen, but right now, it's tough.  However, I will continue to strive.

8. Be a Special Education Teacher
That's a legit thing on the list that I can accomplish.  Just have to have people take a shot at me.  I'm blessed to have the job I have, but I want more.  Eventually, I'll get it.  Give it to God, it will work out.

9.  Punch LMFAO in the Face
Yes I know that isn't very nice, but I hate those guys.

10.  See All My Favorite Teams Once
All of my favorite sports teams are spread across the country.  I want to see them play a game before I leave this earth.  So if anyone has Oklahoma City Thunder, South Carolina Gamecocks Football, College of Charleston Cougars Basketball, Green Bay Packers, or Chicago White Sox tickets...get at a brother.

Well, that's my up-to-date bucket list.  It could change next week or next year.  Notice I don't have dumb things like jump out of a plane or bungee jump or swim the English Channel on the list.  Those are stupid...I'm not dying just to finish this.

Valentine's Day...Oh how I hate you

Valentine's Day was supposed to be about one man's struggle.  A man named St. Valentine was imprisoned for his faith in Christ needed a way to communicate with his friends.  So he wrote inspirational notes with Scripture on them and signed them with "From Your Valentine."  Fairly harmless, you would think.  But no, of course Hallmark had to ruin it with turning it into a corporate holiday.  They make tons of money with cards, flowers, balloons, and other silly trinkets.  That's just the beginning.  Think about all the losers with significant others.  Not all of them, I think marriage is a lovely thought.  One day, I'll join the ranks of the betrothed.  However there are some people who are dating other people who just have to rub in the fact that you're not dating someone.  They go out of their way to mock those who are single.  It's really kind of obnoxious.  Like I said, it's not all of them.  Just a few who basically are just happy someone pays attention to them.  They were probably left out or ditched at the prom.  They sat on the wall during the school dance.  However they found someone equally as unattractive and want to make sure that you know that they're taken.  They're usually the ugly girls that hold their man a little tighter when I walk by because they think I'm going to take them from their man right then and there.  Sorry honey, you're not my type.  I like my women with a little more humility.  Truth be told, the ones that have this kind of complex will never have a lasting relationship because they begin to get too big for their britches.  Sorry about the tangent.  I just get so bothered by snottiness and arrogance.  The worst of it is that Valentine's Day takes precedence over my birthday in the minds of a lot of people.  HA!  My birthday is a phenomenon.  To stay 29 years old this long, it's amazing.  My birthday is of the most importance, and the world will know this.  Some of you are saying that I'm displaying arrogance and snottiness right now.  Nope, there's a difference.  I'm telling the truth.  Anyway, if you really want to celebrate Valentine's Day, do nothing.  Then do something special for someone on the other 364, or 365 depending on leap year, days of the year.  How about that?  How about being a sweet to your sweetie because it's Tuesday?  I mean seriously, send your lady flowers with a card that says, "Because it's Tuesday."  Make that girl happy to see you, not happy to get something from you. America, I beg you to show love just because.  Put an end to this corporate holiday.  Please?

Things I Miss About College Part 2

Yesterday I talked about my freshman year of college at the Word of Life Bible Institute.  Today, I'm talking about my last three years of college at Liberty University.  The biggest thing about Liberty was the fact that my curfew went from 6:20pm mandatory study hours at Word of Life to midnight curfew at Liberty.  We who transferred from Word of Life had no idea what to do with those extra 3 or so hours.

1.  Lynchburg was so much bigger than Pottersville.  That's saying something.  It's even bigger now, they even built a walkway over Wards Road.  I remember having to maneuver like a wild man just to get to Wal-Mart.

2. The Dorm War with Dorm 6.  Our dorm, 7-2, won that war fairly easily.  The frozen yogurt that went through their window and onto the tackiest human ever's horrible fashion choices was pretty much the knockout punch.

3.  Pastor Dwayne Carson ripping us a new one after a few of my dorm mates were caught napping during convocation.

4.  The campus police giving us a hard time after we convinced one of the construction workers to hang a banner displaying our love for Pastor Dwayne.  The officer had the nerve to say that he was keeping our sheet for "evidence."  The sheet said, "7-2 LOVES DWAYNE CARSON!"

5.  Calling random dorms and telling them that they're overdue library book Sex Starts in the Kitchen needed to be returned quickly.  That's a real Christian book on a healthy marriage by the way.

6.  Going to Eric Lovett's house to watch Wrestlemania.  Also went with a couple of guys to see Survivor Series in Greensboro.

7.  Strobe Light Night with Andy.  You just had to be there.

8.  My February tradition of the Black History Spotlight.  You've never seen white people so into Black History.

9.  The Atomic Sit Up....yes that happened, to a College for a Weekender...

10.  My roommate's futile attempt to start the first ever "7-2 Sock Night."

11.  Jerry Falwell constantly bullying me.  He punched me, tripped me, and tried to break my fingers.

12.  Constant innovative discussions on youth ministry in Dr. Vandegriff's class.

13.  The kid who ripped a fart within 15 minutes of one of those said discussions about youth group disruptions.

14.  The very excited Liberty football player who proudly proclaimed they were going 12-0.  First play of the football season, East Tennessee State hits a 80 yard bomb for a touchdown to which I then said, 11-1.

15.  The annual tradition of shaking car keys during the singing of  "Sleigh Ride" by one of those Liberty choirs.  I still do that in my car when I hear that song on the radio.

There are a lot of memories about Liberty University.  The rules were tough.  I mean wearing a tie to school was rough on my poor neck.  The curfew didn't bother me because Lynchburg shut down at 9 anyway.  Now it's a little more bustling.  I made many friends.  Some of which I still keep in contact with.  It's been almost 10 years since I graduated from Liberty.  I'm mostly just heavier.  I'm the same guy for the most part.    If any of my Liberty friends, particularly those from 7-2, have any other memories, don't hesitate to make a comment or share this with others.

Things I Miss About College Part 1

I didn't have the typical college life.  When you go to two private Christian colleges with encyclopedias for rulebooks, you tend to have different experiences.  If you're not familiar with my college career, I went to the Word of Life Bible Institute  in Pottersville, NY for my first year of college.  I then went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.  Now Word of Life was a different place.  I'll give you some highlights from being there.

1.  I was the first person from my high school to play collegiate sports.  I was the back up center.  At 6'4".  At 185 pounds.  Yeah...

2.  I remember giving my future roommate, Andy at Liberty the hardest time ever for not eating all of his chicken wings.  He became one of my best friends, and he's still one of my best friends to this day.

3.  I remember making one trip per day to Jenel's desk so she could sing me a Mariah Carey song.  If I had the money, I'd start a record company and make her a star.  But I don't have the money, so you're going to have to flood her Facebook and beg her to make an indy CD and sell it out of the trunk of her car.

4.  I remember being the only person with their winter coat on by the third day of school.

5.  I remember when the temperature hit like 15 below, then up to like 30 degrees and people wearing shorts.

6. I remember winning WOLBI Let's Make a Deal...I got laundry money.

7.  I remember Daisy forcing me to eat grapefruit at Saturday brunch...the things you do when a woman tells you to.

8.  I remember my good buddy Wesley.  He taught me how to see life with joy, passion, and love for God.  I'll never forget him.

9.  I remember pitching my reality show idea to Skye, "The Tyrone Dudley Show".  I remember Skye yelling "and the horse you rode in on" right after I pitched the signature catchphrase.  That catchphrase usually came out after I broke bad about some unknown rule I just broke.

10.  Speaking of, I remember getting 10 demerits over the course of the first semester.  I had to redecorate the dining hall for the Thanksgiving Banquet.  It got rave reviews...if this teaching thing doesn't pan out, I can be an interior decorator.

11.  I remember doing my Dr. Tom Davis impressions in Jack's Shack.

There are plenty of other memories that I invite those who are reading this and went to Word of Life to chime in with.  I'll give you my Liberty memories tomorrow.  Thanks for reading.

Another Set of Random Musings

I really wasn't sure what to write about tonight.  So I decided to just let my mind wander.  This shouldn't be to bad.

1. Where did the term America's Team come from?  Some how, the Dallas Cowboys became America's Team.  I didn't vote for them.

2. I wonder if my roommate expects me to yell something back when he hollers at the television.

3. Sometimes I wonder if the kids I work with understand that I'm 6'4" and 200+ pounds.  The way they beat me up like I was a plaything.

4. If anyone here knows how to get a gas fireplace to work, I'd be ever so grateful.  How can I impress the ladies with no fire?

5. Nick Diaz won that fight last Saturday.  I think UFC wants to punish him a little more for skipping press conferences for the St. Pierre fight.  The funny thing is, Nick doesn't care.  You're not hurting his feelings.

6. I am so so so glad I got to go to church tonight.  I missed Wednesday night church like crazy.

7.  Thank God for my car.  I'm happier than a white guy in a soap commercial.  Feel free to use that one.

8.  Speaking of, how are white guys so dang happy in those shower commercials.  The last thing I'm wanting to is smile while I'm in the shower.  I want to go back to bed, quickly.

9.  I got a 24 pack of toilet paper...this had better last longer than a week.

10.  I thought Santorum quit...dude just killed 3 states.

11.  This season of Biggest Loser is going down as the whiniest group ever.  Particularly how the red team voted out one of their best chances to win the show because he wasn't there as long as they were.  You left a dude older than dirt on your team.

12.  I don't understand what gives Raycom the right to ruin a good basketball game with their coverage.  ESPN gets blocked out because I'm in "ACC Country."  Not fair.

13.  I still remember one time, one of my kids giving me dating advice.  I asked him what I should do for a girl.  He told me "steak and flowers."  Brilliant mind.

14.  M.I.A. tried to steal Madonna's shine by flipping the bird during the Super Bowl.  She can apologize all she wants, but we all know she did it on purpose because she hasn't been relevant since that "Swagger Like Us" song.  And I didn't even know that was her then.

15.  Dan Le Batard's dad is the coolest human being ever.  Please watch Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable to watch his father make you laugh like crazy.

16.  Two teams paid over 450 million dollars for first basemen to play on their teams.  I thought we were in a recession.

17.  I'm so thankful for my friends.  I don't deserve them.  Particularly my best friends from different states.  I have a Virginia best friend, a North Carolina best friend, and my mom is pretty much my best friend all around. Well it's between her and my nephew.

18.  I admire single moms.  They are quite possibly the strongest, toughest, most resilient brand of people on this planet.  That's a real miracle.  That's something that should be admired and respected and I for one salute you all.

19.  I have a lot of thoughts.  I should try to make a motion picture about my blog, like Tucker Max did.  Except my movie will actually be interesting.  I'll get Jaleel White to play me and Denzel Washington to play older me.  I'll take a cameo as a mailman.

20.  Why is everything about vampires now?  Is it because of the zombie apocalypse?  Zombies don't care about us.  They have more important things to worry about, like the fact that they keep losing limbs at an almost alarming rate.  I'd check for gangrene.

21.  I can't believe the spell checker thought Denzel was misspelled.  Not cool.  He's the man, nothing is wrong on him.

I like my freedom

You know, I never realized how awesome it is to drive myself from one place to another until I didn't have a vehicle.  While I went a long time without a vehicle, I was content.  I didn't mind asking for rides from friends because, quite frankly, they're my friends.  They're supposed to do nice things for me.  I do nice things for them.  It's what friendship is all about.  Anyway, I finally got a vehicle this past Thursday.  It was truly a blessing from God.  I'm thankful for all those who helped me along my journey towards a car.  I'm also thankful for all those who helped me get around while I struggled.  Now that I have a car, I'm pretty happy.  I can go to the supermarket and get more than one bag of groceries.  You never realize how awesome multiple bags of groceries are until you're carrying them on a bus full of weirdos.  No offense Valley Metro, you're great and all, but your passengers scare me.  Although, no lie, I'd still ride that bus just for the sake of riding it.  Although the jealous faces when I bring Kroger chicken on the bus makes me laugh.  I will still go on my walkabouts up and down Williamson Road.  That place is a fun walk.  Those folks are interesting.  It was great to stay a little longer at work knowing that I'm not inconveniencing anyone.  It's good to know that I can go to church and serve my Lord with no reservations about getting there or hoping I can catch a ride the night before.  I can go to church with no worries.  I can do more in church.  I'm just so thankful and blessed.  I always say that I deserve nothing.  God blesses me simply because He wants to.  Never forget how big of a jerk you are and how God loves you anyway.  Yes I know a lot of nice people, but if you're not Jesus, you're not perfect.  If you're not perfect...well then.  I'm just happier than happy that I can celebrate this with you all who read this blog.  While you're at it, share this blog with your friends.  I'd like to say that I'm worth the effort of reading.  So share this, tell people about it.  Join the Facebook group.  Well, I'm done.  Thanks again for praying for the vehicle situation.  You're all special to me.

I still hate LMFAO...the radio isn't working in the car yet, so I'm thankful they're not polluting my ears while I drive.

Stop It

Okay, I get it.  Some people have different musical tastes than I do.  I am an old soul.  I'd much rather listen to Smokey Robinson than Kanye West.  I have an affection for smooth jazz as opposed to Dubstep.  However, I am thoroughly disappointed in about 60% of you people.  There is a band, group, duo, whatever you want to call them that gets on my very last nerve.  They have no talent whatsoever.  However you people flock to them and quote them in your Facebook statuses like they're the second coming of Sinatra.  LMFAO could quite possibly be the worst musical artists ever created.  First of all, they can't sing.  Even with that horrible Auto-Tune invention that makes everyone think they can sing, they still manage to be off key and awful.  Second, there is absolutely no substance to their songs.  It's just them saying some pretty stupid things over and over again.  They're like L'il John with 3 more words in their vocabulary.  How in the world can that pass for music? Next, they look like they get dressed in the dark.  It's like they get up and 3 in the morning, grab clothing, and throw it on.  Sometimes they put the wrong article of clothing on the wrong body parts.  And to top it off, their shirts look like they stole their younger brother's baby clothes.  I know they're supposed to be outlandish and strange, but dress like you got some sense.  They look like they're dressed by the State.  Their name is obnoxious, too.  I'm not laughing anything of mine off at them.  In fact, I feel for them.  I feel for their mothers actually.  I bet if you ask their mothers what their kids do, they'd cry.  I'm sure they're saying to themselves, "All them music lessons I paid for, this is what they're doing."  You people are hurting my feelings with your constant  love for them.  I know, people can make whatever choices they want.  However, you're all wrong on this.  And what's worse is that the M&Ms commercial made them an even bigger name.  Now people are saying, "wiggle, wiggle, blah, blah, blah" all day long.  I'm starting my own group, "SMH" Shaking My Head.  Terrible...

Something big is happening...

...besides that football game, my birthday is today.  Yep, I finally turned the big 3 tens and 2 ones.  Not sure what to make of it.  I know one thing, I look dang good for my age.  I'm going to make this short and sweet.  I know you have a game to get drunk for.  However I have to say that I am quite happy.  I got an awesome gift from a lovely couple from my church.  My favorite cookies, Soft Batch Chocolate Chip, and a gift card to Taco Bell.  Yes the food is bad for you, but it's worth the sacrifice of my bloodstream.  I got tons of Facebook posts, a couple of texts, and even a phone call from one of my best friends.  I'm blessed to have so many people in my life.  People who care about me, love me, and want to see me happy.  I promise you that this particular year, I refuse to not be blessed.  I refuse to not be thankful for what God has given me.  I will have joy.  I will find that perfect wifey chick.  Last year's chick was a waste of space.  If you want my heart, you'd better be worth my time.  I'm going to accomplish my goals.  God will be pleased because I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  I know I won't be perfect.  I know I'll make mistakes.  I can count twelve I made this morning.  However I will be quick to make things right and quicker to be apologetic for doing wrong.  I know I like to claim that I'm the smartest and rightest person I know, but truth be told...I can screw up.  Yes I know it's hard for you all to see me admit imperfection, but it's true.  I can be my own worst enemy sometimes.  However what makes me so awesome is that I know all this and will still work on doing better in life.  My 29 years, 36 months has taught me to do right with God's help.  It has taught me to not be satisfied with where I am and to always seek and strive to improve.  I promise that I will be a Better Tyrone than I was during my 29 years 24 month life time.  Anyway, again thank you all who wished me well on birthday.  I'm sure next year during 29 year 48 month day, we can talk about how uber awesome I am as opposed to just awesome.

Life's Rough, Use Exfoliant

You people need to stop complaining.  I mean seriously.  I listen to people fuss about the weather.  The weather?!?! Really?  Seriously people, you can't complain about the weather.  People fuss about the temperatures getting to the 60s in the winter.  They want to blame it on the evil corporations and their pollution. They want to whine about the unseasonably warm weather.  These kinds of things happen on this planet.  It's been happening for years, even before the invention of carbon monoxide and the ozone layer.  Then when the winter gets super cold again, you complain about that, too.  Hey people, it's WINTER!  People complain about the teams in the Super Bowl.  Look, I'm not too thrilled that my favorite team failed to win a game in the playoffs after only losing one game all season, but I don't complain about the teams.  I don't complain about the game being all corporate or whatever.  It's a game.  Just a game.  People complain about politics.  Politics are what they are.  A bunch of rich people taking money from richer people to give the super rich people what they want.  And every once in a while, you take money from the poor people to get that money to the super rich people.  Before you react, this is not complaining.  This is me airing my displeasure with things that are happening.  People complain about prices of items.  There's a reason your shoes costs way too much money...the people who made those shoes know your willingness to be fashionable outweighs your common sense.  In layman's terms, you're a sucker.  If you really want to complain about something, complain about how our children are dumber, more disrespectful, and more spoiled than ever.  Then shut up, teach them something, beat them, and don't give them everything they want.  Problem averted.  Complain about how people are just immoral and jerkier than ever.  Then shut up and be a better example.  I'm saying shut up a lot.  Oh well, it needs to be said.  Anyway, my birthday is tomorrow. I'm sure I'll post something all inspirational and sweet.  Or I could give some cool people that I know a shout out.  It's still up in the air...

Coming Events

Not really sure what to expect when I turn 29 years and 36 months on Sunday.  There will be a big football game that no one cares about in Indianapolis.  Besides that, not sure.  I'll be one year older, one year wiser.  I'll have more experience in the game of life.  Not the board game, I kill people in that.  Not actually kill, that's not one of the life cards you can get.  I'm rambling.  I guess that's another trait of getting older, you tend to talk for long periods of time about nothing at all.  Kinda getting my Abe Simpson on.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, I know more about life and what to expect out of life.  God's help has a tremendous impact on me.  I thank Him everyday for blessing me with wisdom to figure out issues.  I guess what I've learned is that I can't change everything.  I can't change everyone either.  All I can do is respect what's given to me and accept what I have.  God's grace is sufficient for me.  Change what you can, accept what you can't, and know the difference.  Anyway, I'm blessed everyday by what God has taught me.  I guess the advice I'd give you as you get older is to never stop learning.  Enjoy understanding what other people are about.  You don't have to agree with it, but try to see their reasons for doing what they do.  Don't blindly join the in crowd just to be popular.  Also, don't be so quick to align with a cause simply because a political party or television network signs off on it.  You study it, figure out what it means, then make your decision.  Wisdom is a gift from God.  Roll with it.  Never forget your friends.  God gives you a friend for a reason.  I made some complaints about the "Friend Zone."  However I've had an epiphany.  Be honored that you are in the Friend Zone.  It just means that you have attractive friends.  Trust me, most of my friends are uglier than me.  It's good to look across the table and see someone worth looking at.  That's all a joke, I only surround myself with good looking people.  Be a good friend to people too.  Support them in everything.  Even if you don't agree, wish them well and have their back.  Pray for your friends.  Tell God how much your friends mean to you.  Tell your friends how much they mean to you.  I think I'll do that now.

To all my friends.  You all have been an awesome influence in my life.  Your love, support, friendship, trust, and encouragement brings me great joy.  I don't deserve any of you.  I love you all.

Okay that was good.  Anyway, appreciate what you have.  Thank God that you're not in a much worse situation than you're in.  If you're reading this from a telephone or one of those tablets, you're richer than most people.  Just saying.  I'm so thankful for what God has taught me in my life.

Hooray for wisdom.

The Skate Party

This next birthday story takes me back to 1988.  I had just turned 8 years old.  My mom decided that she would have a skate party for me.  Now up until then, I'd only been skating once.  It was someone else's birthday party.  I wanted a skate party, too.  So my mom planned a skate party for me.  She asked me all the names of my school friends.  We then made invitations for everyone.  A healthy amount of my classmates made it.  It was quite fun.  I got better at skating.  The music was pretty cool.  Note to self and anyone else, do not try to do the Kid-N-Play move with roller skates.  Scary results...  Anyway, I was so happy that my mom went through all that trouble to make my 8th birthday so awesome.  That birthday taught me that my mom would do anything within her capabilities to make my life happier.  My mother is way too important to me.  I am blessed beyond all belief to have my mother.  No offense to anyone who is a mother, has a mother, or is planning on being a mother, but my mom is the best mom ever.  I know a few really really good moms, but mine is the greatest.  Everyday I'm thankful for all my mom has done for me from birth through my upcoming 29th year and 36th month of existence celebration.  My mother is an amazing person.  I'm blessed to have her.


On a bit of a side note, I was blessed to finally be able to get a car.  I can't possibly fathom the thankfulness I have to God and friends for their continued prayers, support, and help in my finally getting a vehicle.  It's a nice vehicle.  I can finally take myself wherever I need to go.  It's a blessing I will never ever forget.

I Fought the Law...

This next birthday goes back to 2001.  It was my 21st birthday, and I was a junior at Liberty University.  No, I didn't lose my mind drinking various concoctions of alcoholic beverages.  Proud to say that I still have yet to partake in that.  Nothing deep, just don't feel like it.  Anyway, one of my gifts to myself was a trip back to my hometown of North Charleston.  That trip was to see Smackdown at the North Charleston Coliseum.  The Coliseum was minutes from my mom's house, so I got to chill in my own bed for a couple of days.  I decided I would leave the campus just before curfew and drive to my house during the night.  I drove with a fairly limited amount of adventure until I hit that dreaded spot known as the speed trap.  Now if you're not familiar with what a speed trap is, it's basically a spot on a highway where the speed limit drops suddenly and has a police officer set up withing feet of it.  I found that speed trap southbound on I-77 in North Carolina.  About the spot where you enter Mecklenburg County.  Here's the great part, up until then, the worst trouble I'd ever been in was when a police officer in Myrtle Beach said I fit the description of someone who stole something from a Spencer's at the mall.  Of course that description was black guy in blue pants.  I digress, so while I'm driving, I'm seeing flashing lights coming from behind me.  Me being the concerned citizen that I was, I changed lanes so the nice officer could get to the law breaking criminal he was pursuing.  However, the officer was still right behind me.  So I change lanes again.  When I see the officer still behind me, I realized that I was the rapscallion that was needing justice served on him.  So I pull over.  He tells me I was going too fast and wondered why I was swerving lanes so much.  The final verdict was a ticket and an automatic trip to court.  However I do have to say that the court was very nice to me and lowered my charge and I paid a small fine.  I also got a nice tour of Charlotte, North Carolina because I had drive all over kingdom come to find the courthouse because the officer was so sympathetic to my plight of not being from North Carolina.  He simply said, "you'd better leave early so you can find the place."  Thanks for being helpful, officer.  That was the year I learned about humility and not being untouchable.  I never really thought I was untouchable, so this incident actually confirmed it for me.  I'm a safe person now.  I try to respect every law I can.  If I happen to break a law, it was out of ignorance.  The wrestling show was quite fun, truth be told.  I think the best part was Stone Cold Steve Austin beating up everyone...which is pretty much wrestling in 2001.