Get in the Game!

For someone who tends to be really good at games its surprising how few I have played recently. It's as if I am denying my own heritage. From a young age my parents taught me to be competitive, analyze awkward situations and perform under pressure. Yet, the only awkward situations I have been in recently are the ones that come from attending holiday parties (and even those weren't that awkward).

It's probably true of all of us that we have periods in our lives that we stray from what defines us at our core. But how do we reclaim that which centers us and is oh so precious?

Trial by fire can yield some messy results. Easing in can often take too long and be thwarted by other distractions. And creating polar choices that leave no room for a grey area tends to be crippling (especially when it comes to blog narratives).

So that said, I'm not going to close this blog topic with and all knowing to poignant response. There shall be no catharsis. Just an unbearably uncomfortable openness to suggestions...

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On the Brink

Is there ever a time when we are not on the brink? When there isn't a decision that looms at the forefront of our consciousness? A decision with such gravitas that we fear the wrong choice may alter the path of our lives?

So maybe that is a little dramatic, but nonetheless it's probably true. So true in fact that many of us choose indecision just to "take a break." This is because, unfortunately, every serious decision we make yields way to truckloads of work. Work to which we must hold ourselves accountable if we want our decision to stick.

With 2009 on the immediate horizon, it's scary (and maybe exciting) how many decisions we will be faced with. Let's just hope that as individuals, family friends and countrymen we have the fortitude to not only decide, but also fearlessly execute.

Hey, change is supposed to be good right (or is it just inevitable?)

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Retro Rhapsody in Blue

I didn't think reliving this could ever be possible. Some might consider it a personal shame as i was less than 100 points shy of getting a free trip to the finals, but c'est la vie. I will always have fond memories of my time at the Jacob Javitz Center.

To think that someone has reproduced the competition cart from the 1990 Nintendo World Championships is mind boggling. How many kids today can rip though Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer and Tetris in 6 minutes and 21 seconds? And I don't just mean rip though, I mean do it with style, saving at least half the time to unleash a dervish of four-lined fury that will make your granny run and buy some "Oops, I crapped my pants!"

Now we just have to see how long I can resist buying this piece of Retro sweetness...

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Santa. Baby?

It's Christmas time! Or Christmahanukwanzakah time... (Suck on that Spelling Bee kids!). But in reality isn't it just time for everybody to whine a little more? I mean, the weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, the economy sucks which means the gifts we'll get are gonna suck (or at minimum be cheap), the holiday specials on TV suck, my grammar sucks (at least when it comes to run-on sentences like this one) and don't even get me started on the trials and tribulations of enduring fruitcake.

All that said, here is my case for the death of Christmas cynicism. Every year, one man and his band of merry elves toil tirelessly to not only make the best toys in the world, but also deliver them to the kids that are worthy. Santa charitably donates his time and stuffs his keister into millions of chimneys (whether they exist or not) with the sole purpose of making all children, no matter which crayola crayon they use to color their face or how many 25 cent gumballs they can buy, smile.

And best of all, Santa doesn't actually exist (should I have made a spoiler alert... my bad.) Santa is a creation of man in the hopes that one day a year we can all be happy. That families can join together and share in the love of the season and the abundance that is life.

Sure, someone is going to argue that Santa is a commercial device, created as a bloodsucking leech on the wallets of middle-class America. Some might even say that he is an atheist distraction from the real meaning of Christmas.

And to you people I say, "Bah Humbug!" ...And Merry Christmas! (or Happy Holidays if that sounds better to you)

Just please, no one get me started on the Easter Bunny...

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Lack of Intelligent Life...

A lack of knowledge can make life very difficult. Yet some people seem to succeed despite this (see video). Is there something to be said of those of us that can succeed without the aid of mental fortitude? Frankly, it's pretty darn impressive.


I only wish that I had the ability to charm my way to the top, however, I like many others will instead have to follow the mundane route using my intelligence and guile. So,when the former Miss Teen South Carolina and I eventually meet face to face (it's bound to happen, right?) There is going to be one big question. And no, that question has nothing to do with offspring or "five to the face."

The question will simply be: Who's Smarter?

After all, the former Miss Teen South Carolina is fully aware of what her assets are and at a very young age has put them to great use. As for me, time will tell.

So, if any of you see the former Miss Teen South Carolina anytime soon, please warn me to walk in the other direction. I'd like to have a couple more years before I have to answer that question honestly.

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Football Follies

Let me go on the record saying that this weekend of Football just plain sucked. Yes, the Giants won, I know (Philly you still have baseball) but Penn State's loss was atrocious. The beauty of Penn State's loss however is that I don't have to freak about the BCS screwing the Nittany Lions anymore. The G-Men on the other hand are another story. If they keep flirting with losses we are going to have another Cleveland on our hands.

Look at me talking like I can affect this, as if the outcome is in the hands of the fans. Yeah, prepare for the proverbial lap bar ladies and germs (see Roller Coaster of Life Post). This second half of the football season will surely be a doozy.

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We Interrupt This Message...

...To announce that Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. For those of you expecting me to spout off on some sort of metaphorical tirade, you can forget it. Barack Obama is simply a man who wishes to serve his country and make America a better place. He shares the core intentions that should be innate in every person to hold the office of President and I can only hope that as Americans we can rally behind him and by doing so rally behind ourselves. Soapbox disengaged.

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Roller Coaster... of Life

Yeah, It's been a while since I've posted, but then again, I've never really been the type to keep a diary. Life has been a roller coaster and I would like to take a moment out of my busy day to address the lap bar.

the lap bar is the most sinister instrument ever invented in the roller coaster of life. It keeps you locked into the ride through every single twist and turn, good or bad, but it still lacks the total security of a seat belt and shoulder harness.

Oh, the lap bar is not your friend my children. It takes sadistic pleasure in watching you scream down the journey of life even though it has traveled the same path numerous times before and always live to tell the tale.

So, why do we even get on the first place? Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of knowing that crazy things beyond imagination could happen. Or maybe we are peace seekers, looking for a gentle kiddie ride at a state fair. All I know is that in life you don't get to pick the ride. It could be Space Mountain, or it might be Millennium Force (pictured to the right).

Man, what I would give to be at the peak of Millennium Force right now...

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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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