Just Take A Minute

By now, I'm sure you all know the verdict that was just handed down.  I won't lie to you, I'm flabbergasted that the jury couldn't even get manslaughter out of it.  To be exonerated of all charges, I can guarantee you that George Zimmerman is luckiest man on earth.  I don't understand this, I'll be honest.  I've watched the case for the most part.  I've kept up with the evidence.  I've kept up with the phone calls, the animations, and the experts.

I'll start with the elephant in the room, was this racism?  Depends on what you're asking about.  If you're asking me if I think George Zimmerman's reaction to Trayvon Martin walking around in his neighborhood in the rain in a hoodie (a perfectly natural thing to do when it's cold and rainy), then yes, I think George Zimmerman was being a racial profiler and a bigot.  If you're asking me if I think the case and the verdict was racist, honestly no.  I think the jury went with what they got and came up with a verdict.  I don't really like to jump on the "that's racist" bandwagon unless the N-word or other terrible words are being used or if horrible crimes against black people are being committed.  I personally thought that Zimmerman was guilty because he became a vigilante.  I'd feel the same way if the races were reversed.  I'd feel the same if these were women or one person was a woman.  It doesn't matter.  I really believe that Zimmerman was looking for trouble that night.

I want to jump to what this means.  I feel like this means a lot.  First of all, Florida has a history of racially charged incidents and crimes.  This does nothing to put more faith in Florida as far as that goes.  Florida laws have been written, re-written, and translated in the hopes of stopping this.  However, loopholes seem to be more prevalent there than most places.  Second of all, I think this could lead to some really bad things.  With the uprising of social media, Internet, and instant information being transferred in seconds, this could really start a firestorm.  Remember how bad it got in Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict announced?  There was no Facebook or Twitter to spread that word.  This could be bad for the state of Florida.  This could be terrible for Zimmerman.  I honestly think "Not Guilty" was the worst verdict for him considering how we're all vengeful people in some ways.  There are people out there that will attempt to end Zimmerman.  This is dangerous.

This also means that a lot of Gun Control supporters are going to be hitting this place hard.  I'm not a big gun person.  They just don't appeal to me.  However, I'll always support a person's right to have and own a gun if they are proven worthy and competent enough.  However, I do believe that Florida needs to revamp the "Stand Your Ground" law.  They really need to make it clear when someone can use their gun to defend themselves.  If I see someone unfamiliar, I'm not chasing them down to see what they're up to, whether I have a gun or not.  Seems like "Stand Your Ground" invites that attitude.  Someone needs to re-write that a little better.

The worst thing about this case is that a 17, would be 18, year old boy is no longer with us.  Parents have lost a son.  A senior in college lost his little brother.  An unfairly vilified young lady lost her best friend.  The world lost a young man to, in my opinion, a senseless act.  There is nothing that a "guilty" verdict would have done to change that.  I'm looking at my Facebook feed, and I'm seeing people seemingly happy or okay with this.  I don't think anyone can be okay with this.  At peace, maybe.  Understanding that there is a higher purpose in all this, absolutely.  But, just okay?  People have lost someone.  It's terrible.  There is no justice in that.

I look back to times in my life where things seemed completely unfair.  I've been brought to tears over some things.  However, I know that there is a better tomorrow.  The Martin family will heal.  It will probably take a very, very long time.  The Zimmerman family will heal.  It will probably take a very, very long time.  The best thing to do is rely on God.  God's provision will suffice.  I know Zimmerman got a lot of flack for saying that this is "God's plan."  I do have a hard time believing that God wanted Zimmerman to shoot an unarmed teenager going to his dad's house.  Just like I have a hard time believing that the people who murdered my dad were carrying out God's plan.  I do believe that God will stand with us through these terrible trials.  We just have to be patient and trusting.  We also have to be sensible.  I'm pretty sure most, if not all of you reading this aren't going to start a riot.  So the next best thing is to pray and hope that those in Florida who are hurt, crushed, humiliated, and unsure don't do anything rash.  I'm typing this as I see Black Panthers on the television screen.

Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding.  That's how I'm going to cope with this thing.  You do what you do.

No Offense...

I kind of laugh when I hear that phrase.  People say that to kind of soften the blow of their words when they know for certain it's not a good thing to say.  Seems like words are getting more and more offensive.  You can hardly say anything without a watchdog group or a special interest group sending protesters to your front door.  Every other phrase causes a boycott, petition, or rally to pop up.  It's really starting to get annoying.  However there are a few words that don't need to be said, ever.  There is no excuse for it.  There is no reason for it.  There is no justification for it.

Lately, it's been about Paula Deen and her words.  Apparently, Paula Deen recounted in a court case how she's used the N-word in the past.  As a result of her admission, she was vilified by the public and fired by Food Network.  This has caused an outpouring of support by Paula Deen supporters as well as applause by those who felt her words were unforgivable.

I'm pretty glad that Food Network did what they did.  I'm glad they took a stand against this kind of behavior.  I'll go into more detail on why I'm glad they did it, but it's not because of her use of the N-word.  I'm going to say this about the N-word.  It's a terrible, awful, horrendous, and evil word.  It tears people down.  It rips people apart.  It's a word that causes strife and brings to mind the terrible atrocities done to Black people since they were brought to America as slaves.  I know I wasn't there for slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, or segregation; however the remnants from those times before are very well prevalent.  I'm bothered that Ms. Deen used those words, however I'm even more bothered that people in general use that word.  Rap artists, kids on the streets, racists, and bigots all use that word as loosely as my jeans are since I did Insanity.

The use of that word is terrible.  I can pretty much guarantee you that if Ms. Deen used that word once, she's used it 1000 times.  How would I know?  I grew up in the South.  Anyone who can use that word once, can use it over and over again.  And not just Paula, but the rest of the people I listed have probably used that word easily.  So yeah, I'm going to go ahead and call it like I see it.  If Deen used that word like that, I'll venture to say that at the very least, she feels black people are slightly inferior to her.  I couldn't care less what the circumstances are.  I work with a young man with Autism.  He has done some things to me that hurt, a lot.  It sucked.  However, if I were to call him the R-word because he's hurt me, I'm no better than Ms. Deen.  Being hurt by someone is no justification for using any totally offensive words.

Now to why I think Ms. Deen was rightfully fired.  It really has more to do with her attitude about Black people.  The reason I believe her firing was justifiable was because of her plans for a family member's wedding.  She felt it would be a good idea to hire a bunch of African American wait staff and dress them as 19th Century slaves.  Please give me one way that that is a good idea.  For someone to have that kind of flippant attitude about a whole group of people is shameful.  That's why I'm glad Paula Deen was fired.  She doesn't think everyone is on equal ground.  She believes her group of people are better.  That's my issue.  Her treatment of an African American general manager at her restaurant is the reason her firing was good in my book.

I do think that Paula's actions are just a small problem.  There is a terrible epidemic of people thinking other people are beneath them.  There is a terrible problem of Black people treating other Black people wrongly.  The use of the N-word probably being the most evil of all.  How in the world can we expect other people to treat us with respect if we can't do it ourselves?  You know how we avoid saying bad words around our kids because we don't want them to repeat them?  Well, I think Black people should do the same.  Avoid using things that upset us so that other people don't do the same.

Paula Deen didn't make a mistake.  She chose to use that word.  Let's stop calling it a mistake.  Let's call it what it is, sin.  It's a sin to say horrible things about other people.  It's a sin to consider people lower on the totem pole than you.  It's a sin to consider people less than you.  Paula Deen's problem isn't a use of a word "once."  Paula Deen's problem is her believe that she is superior simply because she isn't Black.  Like I said, if she's said it once, she's said it too many times.  And from past experience, that once isn't all.

What If...

So obviously it's Fathers' Day.  If your Facebook friends' random pictures of their dad didn't tell you, I'm sure some suit store commercial did.  Fathers' Day has a completely different meaning to me.  You see, I was only blessed to have my father in my life for six years.  I won't go through all the details, but he passed away tragically.  I had a stepfather who wasn't quite sure how to be a father, or any kind of man for that matter.  I have a stepfather now who I know loves my family very much.  I don't get too choked up or concerned about Fathers' Day because of all those factors.

I always wonder, "what if my father were still alive today?"  It's quite the haunting thought.  I think about if I would be in the position I would be in right now.  I wonder if I would have the life I have.  Would my family have moved to South Carolina if Dad were still alive?  Would I have been as active in church?  Would I have even gone to church?  It's a really deep line of thinking.  It's almost like soul searching, really.

I think it's better not to think in those terms.  In the end, God has me exactly where I need to be.  Everything that has happened in my life is exactly the way my life was supposed to go.  We always talk ask, "why do bad things happen to good people?"  The truth is there really is no such thing as good people, just people doing good things.  We're all kinds of messed up sometimes.  I think things happen to us to teach us lessons. Sometimes, those lessons are hard.  Sometimes, those lessons come days, weeks, months, even years afterwards.

I think that happened to me.  My father's death when I was six was very confusing.  However I truly believe that God had a plan.  It took pretty much my college career to truly realize that plan.  I know some of you are rolling your eyes at the idea that God had a plan through all this, but it's the truth.  When I saw God leading me to teach youth, I saw the light.  When the Good Lord led me to be in special education, I really got the idea.

My father's death was truly saddening.  It was maddening as well.  It was just a bad time.  However now that I know that it was the catalyst to how my is life now, I'm not as bothered by it.  I also know that my father is in Heaven, watching down and cheering me on.  It has taught me about faith, strength, and patience. Patience especially.  Patience for God's plan.  Patience with other people.  Patience with life in general.

I want to wish all those fathers out there.  Not babydaddys, that's a stupid and disrespectful term.  I'm talking true fathers.  Those who dedicate their lives to their kids.  Those who do everything to make their kids better, including treating their mothers with respect.  I want to say Happy Fathers' Day to you.  Be blessed.

Here we go again...

So apparently this commercial has caused a lot of issues.  There is a healthy amount of people, and by healthy I mean an amount larger than 1000, that believe that this commercial is awful simply because the family is interracial  Considering that scientifically speaking there is only one race, it's more like the family has differing amounts of melanin in their systems.  However for the sake of this blog and the controversy, we'll just go with different races.

Anyway, I wonder why people have such a problem with interracial relationships and families.  What is the big deal with someone dating someone that isn't a match?  In particular, why do people avoid the interracial relationship for themselves?  I've kind of narrowed it down to five reasons.  The first four can be fixed with a little open mindedness and introspection.  The fifth, well there's really no hope, but you'll figure that out when you read it.  Anyway, here we go.  And if you're one of those that had a problem with said commercial, maybe you should figure out your hang ups and try to fix them.

1.  No Opportunity
Sometimes you just don't get the opportunity.  You have nothing against it, you just haven't met anyone in that category.  And that's cool.  Some people live in neighborhoods where it's not possible to do so.  Sometimes, you meet that childhood sweetheart and don't even bother to play the field.  Nothing wrong with that.  Maybe the opportunity will come for you and you'll see that they're not all that bad.

2. Not Your Preference
You don't have anything against it, but you like your future husband or wife to have certain traits that quite frankly aren't possible with other races.  I mean I guess it's possible, but you'd need surgery, hair dye, contacts, and drugs to accomplish it, see Michael Jackson.  You don't have anything against it for anyone else, but you don't find that particular side of the melanin scale.  If you're wondering, Asian women aren't really my thing.  However if I find that particular future wife and she happens to be Asian, I'm not going to complain.  God has a sense of humor, I'm used to it.

3.  Family Issues
You may not have an issue with it, but you're deathly afraid of being disowned by your family.  I totally understand.  Family is important.  They shaped and molded you into who you are today.  However, there has to come a point where you make a decision.  You have to decide if your happiness is less or more important than your family.  And trust me on this, if your family has issues with who God may have for you, God will set you up anyway.  I've been in that situation where the family wasn't a fan.  Once I realized that that person was more interested in keeping their family happy than keeping themselves happy, I eliminated that person.  At some point, you became a grown up.  Time to make grown up decisions without fear of consequence.

4. Biblical Reasons
Now it gets dicey.  There are verses and passages that tell the Jewish people to avoid other nations and races.  However, we have to remember that the Jewish people back then were quite gullible to other religions and forgetting God's grace and word.  This doesn't apply to us Gentiles, or anyone really.  God really doesn't have an issue with two Christians being together, even they're different colors.  So once you realize that it's not a sin and it's okay, you're good again.

5. Inferiority
This is the reason that I believe is hardest to get over.  Once you believe that any race is inferior, you're pretty much not going to change.  You have to really think about your thoughts on other people going forward.  When you see a commercial with an interracial family, you first ask "what's that doing with that?"  That's not a good look.  Point being, thinking anyone is inferior is terrible.  You need to work on that.  You're not that perfect, so stop thinking that.

I've thought about this thing for a while.  I used to just think that people who were against it were just racist, bigoted, ignorant folks.  However, I've had to adjust my thinking.  There are reasons things like that happen, and it's not just people being against me or others.  I've had to humble myself to the fact that people have extenuating circumstances.

It's time we as Americans realize that people that aren't like you and me exist.  We also have to realize that people that don't look like you or me date each other.  We also have to realize that sometimes, they have kids together.  They also get married.  They live long, happy, healthy lives.  And their kids are great looking, for what it's worth.  It's time we stop fussing and complaining and start accepting.  Like I said, nothing illegal is happening, so whatever.

I'm open to discussion, friendly banter, and what not.  If you feel like giving me your side, feel free.  I enjoy it.  I embrace it.

Summer Time

Another school year has come and gone.  This past Wednesday was the last day of school for the county I work in.  I have to say it was an interesting year.  There was a lot change just during the year.  I saw kids develop and grow into tougher kids.  I've seen kids develop their skills well beyond any expectation that some doubters had.  It was a pretty amazing year.

I made some pretty amazing friends.  I already have some great friends, but I made more.  You can never have too many amazing friends.  I looked it up, amazing friends limits just don't exist.  My co-workers were awesome.  I learned a lot from them.  I know that's weird considering I'm kind of an elder statesman, but if you're not learning, you're wasting your life.

I think about where I'm headed both this summer and my future.  I'm in that weird zone of what I would like to do and what I am doing.  I'm kind thinking about doing some classes to just go on and get the full teacher license.  I'm looking at different avenues.  Hopefully does avenues are cheaper and less time consuming.  Although, time consumption can keep me out of trouble.

I have summer time.  I know I'll be working with the fella, but I actually lucked out and got a pretty early shift.  That gives me all afternoons and evening to myself.  Maybe I could pursue that higher education thing.  I also plan on hanging out with my friends more.  I plan on going to Wednesday night church more often.  I plan on playing golf a little more.  I figured out a cheaper way to get lessons.  Just find my way to where the tour pro is teaching and eavesdrop.  Genius, I tell you.  I want to go to baseball games.  I want to get on a kickball team.  Yeah, kickball.  Which reminds me, if you're interested in playing with me, send me a tweet @TheOnlyTyronly or message me on Facebook.

I've been blessed to have some time to see my family.  My nephew is growing like a weed.  And honestly, he's a lot smarter than kids two and three times his age.  He's also very short sighted.  Kid can't stay still long enough to complete a task.  I guess we all were that way at one point.  Shoot, I didn't even talk till I was three.  It was just a lot of fun seeing my family again.  I'll see them again in August, along with my former high school classmates for a 15 year reunion.  That will be fun.

I'm also going on an awesome mission trip.  Last year I went on a mission trip to Sugar Hill, GA and it was tremendous.  This year I'm going to Chattanooga, TN.  Again we'll be helping build and repair homes.  That's what missions is, being helpful to those who need it.  Not just talking to them, but doing things that no one else would do for them.  It's supporting and helping those who can't quite help themselves.

Overall, I'm excited about this summer.  Not sure where it's going to lead me, but I know I will have a good time finding out.

Insanity Mission Accomplished

Well folks, it's official.  I have finished my Insanity journey.  It took days of dedication.  Dedication not just to the exercises, but to healthy eating and living.  That means avoiding fast food, for the most part.  I do believe that it's okay to have it once in a while.  That meant getting proper rest.  That meant avoiding sodas.  I think I had two sodas in the past 2 months.  That helped me a lot.  I also had a lot of support from friends and family.  Many people that just wished me well in my endeavor.  People who have noticed my change.  It's just amazing to know that a lot has gone into this.  The biggest and most important thing is God's grace.  God's grace helped me through this program.  I can't thank God enough for giving me the strength to do it.

I did what's called a Fit Test to start the program.  Every two weeks, you do this Fit Test to track your progress.  You do eight specific exercises.  My progress from opening day until now is nothing short of amazing.  I increased my totals by as much as 400% from opening day until the final test.

My body has changed so much.  I'm about to post some pictures of the change in my body.  I'm not really about that kind of thing, but I feel like I should show the differences.  I started the program weighing 229 pounds.  I now weigh 210 pounds.  I started with almost 16% body fat.  I now have slightly over 10% body fat.  My waist is about 4 inches smaller.  My upper body is super toned.  I have endurance and flexibility that I haven't had since high school.  Maybe even more, to be honest.

I have some great aspirations now that I've finished this program.  I want to do something I have wanted to do for a pretty long time.  When I was in middle school, I thought about maybe attempting to do the Cooper River Bridge Run.  It's a 10K race done in my hometown of Charleston, SC.  I would love to do that now that I've gotten in way better shape.  So, I'm going to throw my name in the hat and do it next year.  I'll probably do a few smaller races too, but that's the one I want to do.  I think with enough training and practice and dedication, I could do some damage.

Opening Week 229 lbs

Week 2 224 lbs

Week 3 220 lbs

Week 4 219 lbs

Week 5 220 lbs (Visited Family for Spring Break)

Week 6 217 lbs

Week 7 215 lbs

Week 8 214 lbs

Week 9 213 lbs

Final Week 210 lbs

As you can see, my progress is pretty good.  My body has transformed into something more athletic.  I'm blessed to be where I am.  This will be the only time you'll ever see me topless outside of a pool or something. I am so happy.  I feel so great.  It's not over though.  Now it's about staying with the healthy eating.  It's about keeping active and in shape.  It's about making a choice to make myself better.  It's also about trusting God to help you through it.  God says that our body is a temple.  I means to treat it with respect.  Keeping it healthy and living is a good thing.  Being alive long enough to be able to play basketball with future grandkids is a big thing too.  Overall, I'm just thankful for the opportunity.


Now I'm just hoping I win 500 bucks from the Beachbody Challenge.

Trying to Do This More

It's been a while since I posted a blog, and for that I'm sorry.  There are a lot of things to talk about in my life, and around the world to be honest.  I'll just hit them with bullet points.  People love bullet points.

Speaking of bullets, this whole gun control thing is getting out of hand.  Look, I truly believe that guns, WHEN IN THE WRONG HANDS, are dangerous items.  However, it seems as if every time something bad happens with a gun, the first thing lawmakers want to do take them out of the well behaved people's hands.  I truly believe that there should be SOME regulations on how people obtain guns.  I think a background check is just fine.  I think a mental evaluation of potential gun owners is quite alright.  I think if a person wants to own a gun, they should go through every possible test to get a hold of the gun.  I understand the right to bear arms.  I'm all for it.  However, there seems to be a rash of crimes and attacks that warrant a thorough evaluation of who gets a firearm.  I think it's fair.

I've tried to avoid talking about the whole gay marriage thing.  I go with God on this.  God says that if He's the center of your life, you know what He says about things.  My biggest issue is with those who are for traditional marriage.  I believe that there are a lot of traditional marriages that aren't nearly as God honoring as they think they are.  There are so many marriages that end because of infidelity, dishonesty, and just flat out boredom.  I believe that before anyone pipes in about what God honoring marriage should look like, they should make sure that their marriage is worthy of being called God honoring.  I truly believe that I should honor God with my life before telling others how to do the same.  That's all I'm saying.

My Insanity is going tremendous.  I was worried that my recent trip to South Carolina would ruin my progress.  My mom feeds me well.  We tend to get a lot of take out and stuff.  I did a good job of not overeating.  I'm proud of me for that.  I kept up with my workouts.  I even helped my sister and her boyfriend get started on their Insanity program.  Right now, I'm at 11 pounds lost, and I feel great.  They say this is "recovery week."  We'll see.  Everything ramps up with the "max" programs next week.  I get a little nervous when I see "max" on anything.

I don't know if all have you have heard the story of the Rutgers coach who was recently fired.  He was basically abusing his players.  He was throwing balls at players, hitting them, kicking them, pushing them, and calling them vile names.  He was just suspended in December for it.  First of all, parents trust these men/women with their kids' lives.  He broke that trust immensely.  The people above the coach broke that trust as well.  For this guy to flat out bully these kids because he knows they don't want to lose their scholarship.  Let's face it, being on the Rutgers basketball team usually means you weren't highly recruited by basketball powers.  So this is probably their only shot at playing Division 1 basketball.  So they're not going to leave anytime soon, which basically means they're going to have to take this abuse with little fight back.  I can tell you one thing, if any of my former players that I've coached or kids that I'll have in the future ever face this kind of abuse...yeah, bad things man, bad things.

This is Autism Awareness Month.  I want everyone to try to find out one thing about Autism that you didn't know.  I'm not saying you have to wave the banner for Autism or go on a crusade.  I'm just saying check out the facts.  See what it entails.  Maybe check out an Autism program or something.  Don't go out there with false bravado though.  People can read that easily.  And avoid prejudging.

Enjoy life people.  Smile at the silly things.  Fight for what you believe in.  Love your family.  Say hi to a stranger.  Avoid negative people.  Try to eat a little healthier.  Get fresh air whenever possible.  Count your blessings.  Be a friend.

Till the next time, people.

Week Two of Insanity

I've completed one week of Insanity, and I have to say that I'm feeling great.  I am down five pounds, from 229 to 224.  I feel more energized.  I can see my body taking shape.  I can see some definition in my body.  It's really amazing.  I am so blessed and happy with this.

 As I think about these developments, I can't help but thank God for it.  God has blessed me so much.  He's instilled this drive in me to want to better myself.  We hear that verse all the time about the body being a temple.  It's true.  We should care for our bodies as best we can.  I'm not talking bubble wrapping ourselves, even though that would be completely awesome.  I'm just saying not overindulging on things.  I'm saying not hitting the McDonald's every other day and hitting chicken wings the other days.

I have to say it's been tough.  Some of my favorite foods have been put on the back burner and replaced with great tasting, low calorie foods.  Actually, some of the foods have a good amount of calories, but I burn them all in no time. The Insanity workout calls for eating a lot so that you have the calories to burn.

It's also forcing me to have some discipline in my waking up and exercising.  I wake up every morning around 5:20 or so and work out.  I worry sometimes that I wake up my roommates with the exercising, but my concern over my health is a lot more important than my concern over disturbing others.  It was time that I started worrying about myself.  Not in a selfish way, trust me, I've met some fairly selfish people.  However, it's okay to want something for yourself.  People have asked me why I'm losing weight, exercising, all of that because they think I look great.  Truth be told, I want to do this.  It's my body.  I can do what I want.

Stay tuned next week for another update on my weight loss and experience with Insanity.  If you need it, I'll let you borrow it.

Insanity

So, I've decided that I need to get myself in better shape.  I've started Insanity.  Well, I started it this morning, so I'm not even a full day into it.  I realized that I haven't been taking care of myself the way I ought to.  I'm not sure how I'm going to end up, but I know I'm doing right by me.

Over the course of the next 60 days, I'll be tracking my progress on this here blog.  I'll be sharing my weight and how I'm feeling each week.  As of now, I'm weighing in at 229 pounds and got ridiculously winded during my fit test this morning.  I've also decided to do better at eating food.  Mostly avoiding fast food and terrible foods is the key.  You can do it in moderation, but not buying fast food 6 days a week should be super helpful.  I even made a really good chicken dinner tonight that took about twenty minutes.  Chicken cooked in a mixture of lemon juice, ground pepper, minced garlic, and butter.  Place the chicken on a bed of brown rice, arugula, and sliced Baby Bella mushrooms.  I couldn't tell you how many calories that was, but I'm sure it was less than a number 3 with no onions at McDonald's.  

I'm pretty happy about this development in my life.  I'm sure that God has an awesome plan in all this.  

Malignant Case of Wall to Wall Moron

A couple of days ago, I encountered what I believe to be the worst case of ignorance ever.  I can honestly say that I've never been more upset about anything in my life.  

It started as I was heading home from work.  I got to my neighborhood a little faster than normal.  I don't know if it was my driving or just less traffic than normal, but thank God for it.  As I was driving up my street, I see two very tiny figures walking across the street.  I slow my car down and notice that these two figures are children.  Not just children, but babies.  They were no taller than my tires.  I stopped the car and jumped out.  Left the car running, mind you.  I swept the kids to the side of the road and into a yard.  The kids were a boy and a girl.  The boy had a shirt, diaper, and socks.  The girl had a shirt, pants, and no shoes.  It's winter time, by the way.  I asked them where they came from and if they knew where they lived.  I was hoping they'd at least point to their house or somewhere familiar.  Luckily another lady came out of her house and took one of the kids from my arms.  I asked the people outside if they knew who these kids were and who they belonged to.  No one had a clue.  We walked to a house with just the screen door closed thinking maybe we were lucky.  We knock, and a lady answers the door.  She kind of huffs and says, "he's a door opener.  Thank you."

I don't think the level of my aggravation could be measured.  For a lady to just say matter-of-factly that the kid is a door opener, seriously?  I'm pretty sure the lady was a babysitter more than a family member.  I just can't understand how any person can lose track of two 1 year old children and still be in business as a babysitter.  To not even panic when two babies are brought back to your home, I don't have words.

Seems like there is just stupidity being spread all over the world.  It's saddening and maddening.  Look, if you have stupidity running through you, get it fixed.  That means that if you spell simple words wrong like "this" or "that" or "my", feel free to log off of the Internet and find a dictionary.  If you care more about your hair than the safety of your children, feel free to give your kids to someone who cares.  It frustrates me how stupidity just permeates our society.  There's no care whatsoever anymore.  

Oh, I did call CPS as soon as I got home .  I gave them the address.  Hopefully, this lady's business is ruined, and she learns a very valuable lesson how to keep babies secure.  I know that sounds kind of cruel, but if you can't care enough to protect our children, you don't deserve to have children in your care.

The Future

Today was my birthday.  It was a good birthday.  Actually, I'll say it was great.  It started with getting a Burger King crown.  They aren't gold anymore.  They have cartoon children on them.  I swear one of those kids had hipster glasses.  Anyway, I wore my crown almost all day at work.  I felt like a king.  I don't know why I like Burger King crowns; they're just fun I guess.

After that I went to one of my past basketball players junior varsity games.  I saw 5 of my former players in varsity or junior varsity basketball.  It was amazing to see.  I have to say that I'm extremely proud of those girls.  They have grown up to be great talents and even better people.

That's what I want to talk about.  It seems like I've realized just how big of an impact I have on this planet.  Not saying I'm something to be revered or worshiped, however I do believe that I have a responsibility to make this place better than when I got here.  It's not just me, it's everyone.  We have a responsibility to help our children be able to fend for themselves at some point in their lives.  People always say it's the parents' job, and it is.  However, I also believe that we as adults have a job to pick up where the parents can't.  For every deadbeat parent, there are a slew of good parents out there that do a tremendous job raising their children.  But, they still need our help.  All of us have a responsibility to make sure that all the bases are covered.

We need to be an example to the kids out there.  We have to show them how to do this.  I often ask myself if I'm doing it right.  However, after tonight, there is no doubt that the kids I saw will be alright in the future.  We have a long way to go before I'm totally confident, but if we as people work together, we can make this planet a better place.    

However, for now, I'm saying Happy Birthday to me.  Again.

I Thought I Got Rid of the Crazies

Alright, obviously I've met some pretty nutty characters in my life.  In fact, I'd venture to say that I've been around more crazies than the law should allow.  It's pretty unhealthy to be around the crazies.  Crazies can cause stress.  Crazies can cause problems.  Crazies can eat you out of house and home.  Crazies can get you put in jail if they can convince the right person.  It's really touch and go how you handle these crazies.  I think I've become the authority on how to handle a crazy person.  It took a little training.  Some people don't get all the practice I've had, so they will never be an authority.  So it's best to just follow my lead on this.

It started in preschool.  There was this mean girl that rode my bus.  Everyday, she'd scratch me and bully me on the bus.  Me being the gentleman I was, decided to just ignore the behavior.  Mom saw the scratches one day and asked what happened.  I told her.  Mom said fight back.  So I did, and she never messed with me again.

Then there was that annoying whack job in 3rd grade.  I handled her kind of quickly.  I remembered mom's words about defending myself.  I stuck her in a closet.  It worked.  She knew better.

There was daycare in 4th grade.  Not my proudest moment, but if you'd have seen the nut job that messed with me that day, you'd understand.  The girl was a 5th grader, was about 6 feet tall, 409 pounds, and meaner than a hippo with a hernia.  She messed with me, so I hauled off and smacked her.  Told her to leave me alone.  However, she knew better than to mess with me anymore.

As I got older, I realized that throwing crazy people in the closet or whacking them wasn't the most sound strategy.  Plus, you could go to jail.  So I handled the crazies in more diplomatic ways.  There was the catfish incident that I detailed in my last blog.  I handled that like a Sherlock Homeboy.

I had a crazy set of roommates, mainly a mother and her son.  They were of no help to me.  They spent money on everything but important things, like electricity.  I realized that the best way to rid myself of them was to pray like crazy.  It worked.

I had a crazy ex-girlfriend.  Possibly the craziest of them all.  The things she did and accused me of were pretty nutty.  I just laugh.  It helps a lot.

I recently got a roommate who I thought was excited about the opportunity to live somewhere safe that wasn't a hotel.  Come to find out, she's bat-poo bonkers.  Talking to herself, not getting up to take care of basic physiological needs (read between the lines), and eating everyone's food with little to no reciprocity.  Actually, there was no reciprocity.  She made the biggest messes and called us filthy.  Kind of whack, honestly.  I evicted her, she's leaving tomorrow.  She says she is.  One of her personalities said she was leaving.  The others, we'll see.

Crazy is something I've dealt with all my life.  I don't want to make light of mental illness, but it seems like the ones I come across are kind of malicious.  It's like their crazy isn't really crazy, just down right not nice.  It's like they couldn't care less what they look like in the end, as long as they try to mess me up.

You're going to come across people that are wanting to put you down.  People who want to bring you down into the abyss.  You have to be strong.  Be smart.  Fight back.  Don't allow people to be your downfall.  God has a plan for you.  You stick to that plan, the crazies can't beat you.

Next time a crazy tries to bring you down, give the battle to God.  God has your back.

There's a Hog on My Roof

Everywhere, farmers are in a panic.  They're trying to figure out what in the world is happening.  Pigs are flying all over the world.  Your boy got a Twitter account.  Yes, that's right.  The man who swore he'd never get a Twitter account has one.  I don't know what made me do it outside of a friend who also swore never to get it.

I have to say that it's not so bad.  If you aren't too addicted to it, it's a healthy release.  I think I like using the octothorpe the best.  That's the real name of the pound key/hashtag button if you weren't aware.  You use that to get subjects all popular and stuff.  My hashtags don't work too well.  Oh well.

I should probably be a little more open to social media.  Social media is a way to get everything you want out there quickly.  I don't necessarily like my serious news from social media, but a good bit of cool thoughts and opinions don't hurt much.

I'm also following some friends and famous people.  I even found my first sports crush, Bonnie Bernstein.  She's so pretty.  Maybe she'll see my tweets and talk to me more.  I would love if any of you folks with a Twitter account to follow me.  You can find me ON THIS LINK HERE.  Also, share this blog on your twitter account.  I'm going to post a twitter button on the blog so that you can easily share this as well.

This is going to be a fun ride, this whole Twitter thing.  And maybe Ms. Bernstein will see how much I truly care.

Long Time, No Talk

I know it's been a while since I've posted a blog.  In fact, it's been over a month.  Over that time, I visited my family in South Carolina.  I can honestly say that I needed those two weeks like a linebacker needs a tracking device on his girlfriend.  You really didn't think I would overlook that story, did you?  I'll address that in a minute.

I first want to ask a question about this whole gun control debate.  Is it really wrong to want accountability from the people who buy and sell guns?  A lot of the mass shootings have been perpetrated by those who legally obtained their guns.  Yes, I'm aware that those who may not be eligible to own a firearm will find a way to get it anyway.  However, at the very least, let's attempt to figure out this epidemic.  I don't think a little more responsibility is too much to ask.

I'm sure some of you have heard this crazy story about the linebacker at Notre Dame who had a girlfriend die the same time frame he lost his grandmother.  Now on first listen, it's the worst story in the world.  To lose important people in your life is terrible.  However the twist is that this girlfriend never existed.  Like a complete fake.  The problem is whether or not this linebacker knew about it or was in on the faking.  Best case scenario is this kid is biggest doofus ever.  The worst case scenario is that this kid played with an entire country's emotions.  I've almost been the victim of that same thing.

A while back, about 6 years ago maybe, I met a lady online.  Nice lady, real pretty picture.  We talked on the phone, in chats, everywhere.  It was great, honestly.  However whenever it was a good chance to meet up, something would inexplicably go wrong for her.  I was pretty proactive.  I decided that I would go to her.  Drove to Philadelphia and found out where she was.  She conveniently drove away and her "cousin" met up with me.  Said cousin was the person doing all this. To put it nicely, said cousin did not look anything like the girl in the picture.  She looked like she ate the girl in the picture.  That is terrible, I'm sorry.  However, I'm not sorry about the experience.  If you're thinking that someone online is fake, research.  Figure it out immediately.

Alright, so my Packers went down this year.  I'll live.  My team doesn't stink, so I'm already happy about next year.

This Lance Armstrong thing is pretty cut and dry, honestly.  He cheated, which is the least of his sins.  The fact that he tried to ruin people who told the truth about him is incomprehensible.  He sued, he attacked, he lied, and he just flat out destroyed whoever got in his way.  Ruthlessness has become standard in everything that goes on.  It's all because of sin.  People are imperfect and will do anything to make themselves better.  The problem is being better is better if you do the right thing as opposed to doing the self-serving thing.  One day, people will get that.

Well, this was a fun time.  I'll probably post something again next week and try my best to stay consistent.  I missed this thing.