Get in the Game...

Shameless EA plug I know. Sometimes though it's the best answer. Do any of us really understand how often we choose to ride the pine? Seriously, how many times in your life can you say that you fully participated in everything that you wanted to do? More than likely, some amount of fear paralyzed you and before you knew it time had passed along with opportunity. Then all you are left with is a giant bowl of "What if?"

Well I am here to tell you that "What If?" tastes like Alpo. I'd knock SPAM, but I have a long established relationship with the Hormel company that dates back to Latin Club.

Regardless, in a world full of Filet Mignon and Ben & Jerry's, how dare any of us sit down at the end of the day and delude ourselves into believing that the three bowls of Alpo we had were delicious?

So, let's say goodbye to our craptacular menus, no matter how big or small they may be and start dining at the Ritz.

...Or at least upgrade to Taco Bell. (Chilitos, I will always miss you.)

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What's Your Fantasy?

Riches? Fame? World Peace? Who knows what it is that you dream about at night or keeps you going during the day, but I do know that if there isn't something driving you, your life will be a world of hurt.

Isn't that basically what the American dream is all about? Hope springing eternal? Hope for a better tomorrow?

I'll never say that I am infallible, but leaving things up to hope is a dangerous game to be playing. When you don't actively pursue hope, she transforms into this evil mistress called fate. And trust be Hope is more fun to hang out with. She'll at least let you choose the movie once in a while. Fate will chain you down and put "Beaches" on repeat.

For that matter, Hope and Fate are kind of like "Hope and Faith ." Kelly Ripa (Hope) has career options while Faith Ford (What the heck has she done?) is doomed to acting purgatory.

Long Story Short. Chase Hope. She's a fine catch. Even if you never catch her, the adventures you have while trying will be a heck of a lot better than spending an eternity with Fate, her older and much uglier sister.

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Stability... Like Jello.

Feel that Wobble, Feel that wiggle. There was a time in my life that all I wanted to do was avoid the feeling that my life was a Bill Cosby commercial.

Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have been a Huxtable, but as far as the pudding and the creepy molds, I'll pass.

All I ever wanted was to know what life would be like day in and day out. Order was my God and Routine was my mistress.

Now i think all of that may be overrated. I wanted things to be routine because when they were I would always know what I was doing. As a result, I would be guaranteed to succeed on a daily basis. That can feel pretty good.

But thinking back, all of my best moments have come when I had to relinquish control. No one told me what words I would be receiving in my 5th grade spelling bee. Hell, no one told me that my pants would split on stage during an aerial split. However, these moments were defining for me and the stable moments in my life are significantly more forgettable.

So if I am aiming to live a life that could be chronicled in the annals of history, maybe I need to introduce a little more jello into my life. I hear the Lemon-Lime is delicious.

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A Quickie...

Why doesn't the pop-o-matic bubble apply to real life?

It most definitely isn't fun getting into trouble, but popping a 6 to get out of a rut would be a lot easier than completing a full slate of Operation surgeries (And avoiding setting off that red nose can be quite the charge.)

I mean think about it. If getting out of a difficult situation was never more than a one in 6 shot, I think there'd be a whole lot of popping going on.

So here's to Trouble. Proof that all of life's happiness can be contained in a tiny plastic dome .

Take that Magic 8 Ball!

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Oh Brother...

Big Brother 9 marks an interesting point in my life. It is the first time that I chose actively not to watch an entire season of the summer fun fest.

In reality I was just swamped with work and coping with a night shift, but hearing the about the season via friends with bleeding retinas, I think my timing could not have been more fortunate.

But now the producers have committed to going Christina Aguilera on season 10, going "Back to Basics."

If they are being fully honest, which is hard to believe, we may finally see a reality show stand on the two feet that the genre was created on. Placing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and letting things play out naturally. That's what made Survivor Borneo strike gold. That's why MTV faithful still cite the first season of the Real World as one of if not the very best.

This is not to say that the more salacious shows do not have their places in the television landscape. They do and many of them are amazingly entertaining. But I have always felt that the most enthralling drama occurs in every day life and if BB10 strays too far away from that, numero diez could be the end of this Julie Chen helmed summer struggle.

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On the Road Again

There was a time when I really wanted to travel. I remember in 7th Grade begging my parents to let me go on a trip to Western Europe. They waited 5 years for the opportunity to re-present itself before they granted my request.

That trip was interesting to say the least, and Switzerland is gorgeous, but now that I am taking the opportunity to do a little more domestic travel, I wonder why the hell we call ourselves states.

Shouldn't we really be the United Countries of America. Each state technically has its own government and states rights is a time-honored constitutional principle, but continuing to use the moniker of state rather than country creates the illusion that we are all one. United.

Take a look at the election night map, and you know instantly that is not true.

Now don't read this as a secessionist manifesto. Just read it as one man saying that we should more openly embrace the differences between Mississippi an Montana. Between Alabama and Arizona. God knows Sports fans know the difference between Massachusetts and New York. Heck socially, Bostonians speak a "different" language from New Yawkers.

Maybe if we had a better appreciation for the less than subtle nuances, we would value what we have at home just a little more. I know that I find myself yearning for stability from time to time, searching for the familiar rather than the newer, greener pastures. But in the prime of my youth, a prime that will last at least until I am 40, I'm willing to take the ride.

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A Post of Lesser Significance

Fair Warning: The following clip may be either annoying or downright addictive. Watch with caution.



That said, there is something valuable about the ability to be irreverent. Being serious all the time is truly trying and spouting gibberish for no apparent reason can be just the cathartic release that certain high-strung individuals need.

So before this post becomes excessively thought out remember to occasionally not give a turd about what others think and say. We are human after all and that gives us more than permission to err a little bit.

(I will now spell check and proofread this post... I'm sorry, the my OCD should become OPP. C'est la vie.)

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The Rules... (sorry ladies, not those.)

Quite an interesting image on the right. But please get your mind out of the gutter as I am only using it to illustrate a single principle.

Liberty Loves Justice.

Everyone has rules to life that they choose to live by. More so, it seems those rules will change based on a given date, maturity level or traumatic incident. Regardless of reason, we craft these rules hopefully because they allow us to be the person that we want to be, no more, no less.

But have any of us taken the time to write them down and see how they evolve? I'm sure someone has, but just in case I am wrong (and those of you who know me know how frequent that is) this will be the beginning of my list.



So, without further ado. Here is a rule to live by.

Play The Game.

Simple enough. If you don't like the game you are playing currently, play a different game, but if you are in a game, which EVERYONE is, Play The Game.

The rest of the interpretation, as interpretation is always personal, is left up to you.

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It's the Inside... that frightens?

Just an overly philosophical realization, but hear me out. We all grow up seeking to find what drives us. That something within that just burns passionately for a trade, a craft, or a love. Some people seem to find their "calling" immediately and others may never find their inner truth at all.

But if it's inside of us, why don't we just let it out, ring the bell and say,

"I win, I'm Happy Now!"

Because we're smarter than that...

As we grow and mature, I think we all subconsciously let out the amount of our inner true selves that we can handle at a given time. Everyone recognizes going "into a cocoon" we times are difficult in an effort to weather the storm, but the climate and timing have to be perfect for the butterfly to emerge.

Personally, I think this is kind of scary. For me to be telling myself that I am not ready for of all things, me, is a little hard to fathom. But when deep inside I feel as if I have a unique and surprising greater purpose, I guess I need to be patient and ready for anything, come what may.

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I'm Used to Winning, But Not Quite Like This...

I am seriously beside myself right now. Some could describe this as a cathartic release. Those who know me would view this as only increased pressure, but no matter what the truth may be I have a new best friend...

Meet Emmy...

That's right, she's my new roommate. She hasn't moved in yet, but she has signed the lease. In a weird way I don't feel as if I am worthy of her golden awe, but I think it's time for me to fess up to myself.

I'm good. Damn good. And I'm worth something damn it!

So let this miniature triumph for me be the catalyst to you "getting yours" because I am oging to "get mine" even if I have no clue how.

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