So the last time I had talked in this, I spoke about fear of going to school. I talked to you about missing people I cared about alot and furthermore, my fear of the people I would be involved with. I have to say that those fears have become more real than I ever thought.

To start off, my classes are very challenging. Last year I really did sail through school with minimal problems, and now it seems like everything is catching up with me all at once. I feel smothered, often times I feel like its more work than I will ever be able to complete. Besides that I look around me and see people that have no futures, people that do not care about their work, and people who are constantly concerned wtih things other than thier education.

Second of all my house is terrible. Everything is falling apart, the plumbing doesnt work, the air conditioning is non existant, its hot, muggy, and we dont even have screens so opening our windows are not an option. Overall the experience there is not too good, and creates a pretty weak study environment. Needless to say, its not helping that much.

I miss my girlfriend too. I knew it would be hard going away to school and being so far away from her, and of course I was right. She is really special to me and I love herm and honestly goin through the stuff im going through now I don't know what I would do without her. She is having a great time her first year at school and im happy to see that she is enjoying herself. I just miss her. However, there are so many things that remind me of her, it is almost like im with her for a little bit every day. It always makes me happy to know that a thunderstorm, a volkswagon bug, or a koala named charlie, will all remind me of her.

Now that I have listed my complaints, it is time to figure out what I am going to do. I know that at the end of the semester I will be able to leave this place and find out what I would like to do with my life, but until then II need a plan. I need to go to the library more frequently, and get mcuh more work done. I need to take the time to realize when I am being distracted, and seperate myself from those situations. I need to realize that it is time for me to step it up to the next level and do whatever is necessary to do well in school this semester. I just need to get a grip on the situation, and take care of it.

You know my girfriend has always said to me that everything always works out, and shes right. If I give my best effort, it will all work out on the end. Sometimes you just look around and realize that the situation is not the best, but that doesnt not mean you cant make the best of it. I have to take the responsabiliy and move forward and do everything I can to make the most of this semester.

I know its been a while since i have posted last and I apologize. I was getting settled into school for my sophomore year and I have been through a lot of different emotions. But now that i have had time to clear my head I would like to talk, about my girlfriend.

Now I know what all of you are thinking. "Oh my god he is gonna talk about her again, I thought this was supposed to be a blog about life". Well, this is a blog about life, I spend my time talking about things that I find important in my life, and one of the most important aspects of my life is her. So I would like to talk about her for a little bit.

When I was growing up I was overweight. My whole life I was told in a joking manner from my friends that nobody would ever care about me because of my weight. I battled and fought and struggled and then when I was finally at the average weight, I broke out in terrible acne. At that time I thought that nobody would ever care about me, and that my high school, as well as my life, would be particularly lonely.

Then, my sophomore year, I met a girl that would change my life. Although for a few years she would not give me the time of day, my efforts paid off and the day before I first went to college I was able to kiss her.

We spent the next months working and improving on our relationship and soon we were dating. Now it has been over six months since the day she said yes to me asking her out, and I could not be happier. My whole life I had seen those movies about the girl that would change your life, the girl that would change the way you think, and the girl that after you met her, all those love songs you never understood all your life would suddenly make sense. The people who told me all of these things could not have been any more correct.

I can honestly say my girlfriend is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and one of the most important parts of my life. Recently I went to visit her at her school and just being with her, just being in the same state as her made me happy. I could have the worst day of my life, be practically in tears, and just looking into her eyes and seeing her smile makes everything better. When I'm not close to her, hearing her voice on the phone and listening to her laugh and occasionally seeing her smile on a web cam is all i need to make my week. Overall I have to say in complete honesty that I met someone very special to me that is very important in my life. I met a girl I would do anything to make happy. I met a girl that means more to me than anyone I have ever met in my life and truly care about her. I know some of you are seeing this as a pointless post, and its more than obvious that those of you that have have not experienced this feeling yet. More than anything I just want you all to know that I met someone very special, and I love her.

Todays post is a little bit of an extension of yesterdays. I know I spent all of yesterday preaching to you about how good everything is going to be and how I am not nervous about anything, and I feel like for me to just talk about the positives of everything and the optomistic point of view would be not only dishonest to you, but to myself.

I'm scared. I mean I have a great group of friends at school and I know I am going to have a good time, but at the same time these same group of friends are involved with alot of stuff that I try to avoid. In just this past month one of my friends from school has died of an overdose, the other sent to a hospital due to drug related mental instability. I know that this is only the beggining, and that before my time at school is over, I will lost more people that I care about. I know this, I have always known this before anything ever happened to the first two, but yet, they are still my friends. My friends at home do not get involved in the same stuff but I really do not feel as close to them as I do with my friends at school. Often times the people around here are very stuck up and immature and it is usually more than I can handle. My plan is to get away from this school at the end of the semester to try and avoid the ultimate pain I will be suffering from losing more people close to me. It hurts alot. Often times even sitting with my girlfriend who I care about more than any of them, my mind will wonder and take me to places my heart does not want to follow. I think about who will be next. I think about how hard it was to walk into a room of people who did not expect him to die and are completely shocked, when all the while me and others at school were aware of his recreational drug use and did absolutely nothing to prevent it. I think about the time a very close friend struck a girl, and wonder how long it will be before his actions catch up to him. I think about how hard it must be to go to visit your son who, thanks to drug use, has put himself in his own world, and does not even recognize you anymore. He thinks you do not love him, he thinks he is adopted, and he may never be the same again. All these thoughts pass through my mind a few times a day. Many people will look at these situations and say there was nothing they can do, but I will look at those same situations and say that I could have done something to help, prevent, or stop this drug use, and I did not. Often times I sat there and laughed when friends would tell stories about their crazy trips, and now they are gone.
I feel bad for my girlfriend because I constantly am telling her that I am fine because I do not know how she will react to me feeling this way. Her friends are great people, and always have been. I may not get along with all of them, but she really did put herself with a great group of people that I know will do everything in their power to help her whenever something is wrong when I am not around. She is very lucky to have them, and they are very lucky to have her.

This all bring me to what I have been trying to get at. I care about my girlfriend more than I have ever cared about anything or anyone else in my life. When I am with her I try as hard as I can to be the best possible version of myself. Being with her has led me to the appreciation of things I never found interest in before. My eyes have been opened and the course of my life has definately been changed in some way, a positive way, because of her. I pray that I have done something positive in her life as well.
Now, soon, I have to go back to my friends. I go back to being close to all the drugs and violence and pain that I have been trying not to think about while back to home. I must talk to each one of my friends knowing that there is the potential that it will be the last time I speak to them. This is what really scares me. My girlfriend is so excited to go to school and can't wait and talks ot her room mate and is the happiest person on earth, and here I am doing everything I can in my power to slow down time.
I do not want to lose her, and I will do everything I can to make sure we are together for as long as possible. I love her, always have. When I am around her nothing else matters, and for those hours, I probabaly think of how lucky I am in my head about 1000 times, although I may only say it once or twice. Often times when im hugging her or laying with her and she can't see my face I will look up and just mouth the words thank you, because I know there is a higher power at play in the way my life has turned out. I will do anything to make her happy or see her smile, and I thank God for every day I am given with her. Recently I have not been myself around her, and I know it must be making her angry, but I am just overcome with the fear of going away, and that now there is a time limit to how much we can see each other. 12 days, 11, 10, the count down seems to be going faster and faster and I can't do anything to stop it. I just hope and pray that she misses me too, and that our relationship can continued to grow and strengthen, because she is a very special and important part of my life.

Change

Change happens to everyone. It's inevitable. However, change is not what makes a person who they are, it is how that person reacts to the change.

In the next few weeks of my life I will be undergoing a big change that will effect my life significantly. Now I have weighed the pros and cons, but still cant help but to feel that I am losing so much more than I am gaining. It's that time of year again, and after seeing my girlfriend for almost 3 months straight, I must go back to school, where I can only visit her once every few weeks at most. Part of me, actually most of me, asks myself why I decided to choose the school farthest away from home.
But change is not all bad. If relationships, and anything in general, were easy then they would not be so highly sought after. Every relationship has its own set of complications and challenges that the two people involved must overcome together. I know personally that I could not ask for a smarter, more mature, more confident and trustworthy person to go into this with.
I think the important thing to remember here is that the longer you are away from someone the happier you are when you finally get to see them again. It really incredible how much distance can strengthen a relationship at times. As long as you trust the person you are with and truly care about them, like I do, everything will work out

There are moments in our lives that really take our breath away. Often times we do not know when these moments will occur how long they will last, or how many we will have in our lifetime. I would like to think that we get a few in our lives, one would be too little and any more than a handful would desensitize us to such an amazing feeling. Recently, I had my first real moment like this, and I will never forget it.
Its funny the way things work out sometimes. Sometimes the most frustrating of nights can suddenly turn into incredible experiences. A place where you sat and thought in frustration for hours can turn into a sanctuary of tranquility where everything becomes clear and you finally have peace of mind. For me that was my car. I sat in my car 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 as I watched the minutes pass as slowly as hours from my drivers seat. Although this was not her fault, I was still frustrated because I would not be able to see her for a few days and I really wanted to get the most out of the time I was going to spend with her. I took deep breaths and let the frustration gently pass through my body rather than let it build up in anger, because I knew it was not her fault and there was nothing she could do about it. Knowing it was the fault of a 3rd party, I patiently continued to wait.
Finally, at around 12:30, I was able to see her. She found where I was and pulled up along side of me. She knew I was sad that that our time had been cut so short, but the sadness was overcome with overwhelming joy when I was finally able to see her.
We moved to somewhere more private and began to talk. Because it was so late, and there was nowhere else to go, the back of my car became the venue for our conversation. Now I know what your thinking, and yes the backseat of a car is not the most beautiful of places. But you see, that's what a I mean. These moments they just sneak up on you and it doesn't matter where you are. You could be in a damp dark smelly disgusting room or laying on the beach watching the sunset it doesn't matter when it happens it happens and there is nothing you can do.
So let me get back to my story. We were sitting there, talking, kissing, hugging, and I can honestly say that in the middle of everything I stopped, even if it was just for a second, and looked at her. However this was not a normal look, and I don't think I had ever looked at her this way before. She looked beautiful, as she always does, but there was something special, something different. It was as if for that moment, for that split second when we looked at each other, nothing else mattered. It was almost as if the windows of my car blocked out everything and anything bad in my life. Arguments with my family, college fears, any pain I have ever felt in my life was gone, and I just felt like there was something about this girl that separated her from anyone I had ever known in my life before. Everything was so clear and there was not a shred of doubt in my mind that this is where I should be at this very moment. A second later the feeling was interrupted by the sounds of kids in loud cars, but nevertheless, it was something that made me happier than I have ever felt before.
Now I know, your thinking I am out of my mind, corny, and maybe even a little femanine. If your in the category of those who feel this way, you have not experienced what I have yet. However, if you are in the category of those who know the feeling. I am telling you to really take it to heart and rememeber it for a long time because it is something very important and no matter what happens to you physically or emotionally for the rest of your life, that memory will always be with you.

Faith

I think in order to live any type of happy life at all we have to have some type of faith. When everything material and physical and tangable in your life seems like it is being dragged into a place where you can never get it back, it is that which you cannot see or touch that proves to be most powerful. A see a lot of people wear the crucifix and chain and go to church on Christmas and Easter. These people think that by going to church every once and a while they are doing their God's will. These people are what I like to call, just in case believers. This means the moral compass they use to guide them through life is so messed up they don't even know right from wrong anymore, and they do not really believe in God. But by the off chance he exist, they went to church, just in case.
You can not expect to be born into devout beliefs. For me, it was a few life experiences that showed me that there is some one or some thing out there watching me, watching all of us.
Recently I lost a friend. He was a kid that I knew for a good amount of time, and on top of everything else he was completely healthy. He liked to party and have a good time, but as long as I had known him he had never really strayed from just enough alcohol or maybe a little bit of marijuana to calm him down. A few days ago I woke up to find that he had died of a heart attack in his sleep caused by the combination of the drugs meth and coke, two things he had never touched before in his life. My world came crashing down around me as I fell into a deep state of shock and confusion.
It is situations like these where we stop and think.
Why would he do such a thing?
Why would addicts live such long lives on the drug as he dies after one use?
Where was God?
If I didn't believe that someone or something greater than you or me could ever imagine was behind this, and that this was all part of one plan to better our Earth and everything around it, I do not know what I would do with myself. It is this faith, this feeling of power that overwhelms us at times like these, that push us to move on, learn, and take with us the knowledge and wisdom we have learned from events like these.
We as people are scared of what we can't control and fear the unknown. We are scared that we will lose people close to us to disease and tragedy that we could never possibly predict. We have to put faith in the fact that things out of our control are fully within the control of another more powerful than us. We have to have confidence that in the end, everything in our lives is part of something bigger than we could ever fathom, and that we are all part of this idea, this plan, this everlasting future.
Fear is not always a bad thing to have. Most of the time, fear derives from love. We are afraid to lose something or someone that we care deeply about. To quote Martin Luther King Jr, A man who does not have anything in life he would die for has never truly lived. I am a strong believer of that. I truly pity those who believe that there is nothing bigger than the world we live in. I pray, and believe, that everything has happened for a reason.

I miss my friend.

Risks

Life is about risks. It always has been and most likely always will be. Some of the most recognizable and famous men in history are famous for the risks they took. Unfortunately, some men we will never hear about in our lives took those same risks.
I thinking the hardest thing about risking anything is knowing how much you can potentially lose. We try and weight the options, maybe make a list to see if the rewards out weight the downside, and do all sorts of things to try and put ourselves in the best possible logical position. However, sometimes logic does not mean anything. Sometimes everything we believe is logically correct we know is wrong in our hearts. Poker players will tell you that sometimes they know the odds are against against them but the cards just "feel right". Well, life is the same way. Sometimes the odds are against you but you know what you feel and there is nothing in the world that will stop you from feeling that particular way.
I think the hardest risks we take in our lives are the emotional ones. Putting yourself out there with someone you care about for the first time. Being the first one to try and make a move, or being the first one to say those three words we all do our best not to say at all costs. It can be scary, I know, and a lot of times we say these things knowing that the reward is greatly overshadowed by the chance we are taking, but we say it anyway. Why do we do this? Because we are human. Because for the vast majority of us the heart will always outweigh the mind in decisions like this. Yes we can get hurt a good amount of the time, and some of us get hurt a lot of the time. However, when it all comes down to it, when we finally get that response we have been looking for all this time, it will be more powerful than anything we have ever experienced.

Your Newest Question

Okay so I am going to change it up a little today. Recently I have received emails from a few people asking me about my girlfriend. I have brought her up from time to time and its understandable that people want to know about her and to help things I write in the future maybe I should talk about her a little. It's kind of a long story though so just give it a chance.
Me and her have known each other about 4 years. When we first met, I tried constantly to be with her but it seemed she was not interested. I spent the next two years trying from time to time to show her how I feel and prove she means a lot to me but time and time again I seemed to come up short.
Finally the summer of my senior year I began to spend a lot more time with her. I was seeing her a few times a week and it seemed like we were getting closer. Unfortunately, I was too nervous to try and kiss her or tell her how I felt. Days when we hang out came and went without me making any kind of move, and I began to feel like I was going to go to school without telling her or showing her how I feel.
Finally, with one day left, I decided I needed to know what was going to happen. We sat around her house the whole day and even though neither of us said anything, there was the subtle undertone that we both knew I would be gone for the next three months. I sat there with my arm around her, just looking at her, thinking to myself that I will never get another chance like this again.
I looked at the time and realized that I had to leave. I asked her to walk me to the car and right as I was about to let go from hugging her and get in, I decided I had to try. As corny as it may sound, I asked her to kiss her, and she said yes. For years I had built up all these high expectations about what it would be like actually kissing her and actually being with her. I also wondered if I actually cared about her or if I was getting the fact that I was always getting denied by her make me think I cared about her more than I actually did. All these thoughts raced through my head, and then it happened. I kissed her and I knew right then at that moment how special this girl was to me. That car ride home, knowing I wouldn't be able to see her for 3 months, was the saddest of my life.
When I came back from the school the first time we got closer still, and as the year went on I began to come home more and more to see her. Finally summer came, we were dating, and that brings me to where I am now.
She is gorgeous. Hahaha I know that is a little blunt, but its entirely true. Long dark hair, beautiful green eyes, and one of the best smiles I have ever seen. She is funny, smart, fun to be around, and one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Her personality is what really sets her apart from every other girl I have ever talked to. As high as my expectations were for her, she went above and beyond them in so many ways and really blew me away. As you can probably tell, I care about her very much.
As I get closer to go to school, and she gets ready to go to school about 6 hours away from mine, I realize how important every minutes I am with her is. Going to school, that last day before I leave, is going to be one of the hardest days of my life. I can't even put into words how much I am going to miss her, but I will make every effort to see her as much as I possibly can this semester. I can honestly say that so far I have made the most out of every opportunity I have had to be with her this summer, and that there were a few times we spent together that I can honestly consider some of the best times of my life.
This goes back to everything I always say about appreciation. Everything I talk about in reference to how time is short, and how we need to cherish every second we have. I know you all probably have some one special in your lives. For some of you its a wife or husband, for others a boyfriend or girlfriend, and for some, its a girl or guy you have not even said hello to yet, but you just know. My advice is this, tell them how you feel before its too late. Let them know what they mean to you and if it truly comes from your heart you will never make them uncomfortable. If they are special to you, please let them know. We all need to appreciate the important people we have in our lives, I know I do.

People...

Sometimes we as people tend to suprise ourselves. We have these ideas in our head, a plan on how we are going to handle certain aspects of our lives. Then something comes along and completely changes your outlook. For me this has recently happened with my career choice, but it can happen with a lot of other things as well. As people we have the ability to think past our instincts, and that alone allows everything to not be cast into stone. We are free to change our minds as we plea and often times follow our passion more than our logic. Ultimately you have to do what makes you happy, and what you think has the potential of making you the most happy in the long run. People who put everything into logical terms are often found standing around as life passes them by. If your not going to put atleast a little bit of your heart into everything you do, than nothing is really worth doing. Words with no meaning are words unspoken. I am not saying that you should just go on emotional spurts and completely do what you feel because that may turn out to hurt you just as much. What I am saying is that we have both our mind and our heart for a reason besides the obvious biological rules, so I suggest we all use both of them to thier fullest capacity.

It All Comes Down To This

I do not have the best relationship with my parents. I find it hard to remember the last time we just had a conversation without yelling and often times their harsh words pulsate through me like venom. The past few weeks in particular all I have wanted was a normal relationship with the people in my family.I know that this contradicts a lot of what I write and preach about. I am always talking about how we should appreciate what we have and cherish it, and by me sitting here asking for more from my parents, I am in direct violation of these rules I have established for the way I want to live my life. So I have decided that wants are okay, to an extent. It is desire and wants that keep the world turning, and without any desire we would have no motivation and ultimately are species would be cast down to its more instinctive form. However, I think wanting something like a solid relationship with my parents was asking for a little much and did not really fit in with what I tell readers. I was being greedy.Last night I was with my girlfriend sitting in my T.V room. We were just casually flipping through the channels laying with each other as we often do. Let me just say right now that my girlfriend has been the person I tell everything to, and one of the only people in my life that I can truly say I trust. She is always there for me when I need her to be and makes me happier than I ever have been before. Most of the time she brings out the best and me, and I am truly thankful to have her in my life.Having said that, I was feeling a little upset about the situation with my parents and she noticed instantly. After asking a few times, I finally broke down and put my head and her shoulder where I kept it for about an hour as I thought and spoke about everything wrong in my life. I spoke about my family in particular, and how all I wanted was normal parents that respected me and treated me well when I saw them.At the end of the night, although she did cheer me up a great deal when I really thought no one could, I was still feeling upset. I went to sleep upset and woke up this morning still feeling uneasy. It was at that moment that I realized where I needed to go with my life.My point is that everything happens for a reason. All these things that we think are the end of the world end up being good for us. Maybe it is not as noticeable as you leaving your shoes untied and tripping only to find a 100 dollar bill in front of you, but it happens. These bad experiences are meant to teach us and show us that life is not perfect, and that everyone has problems and things they do not like, but it is those who let those bad things overshadow the good that allow their minds to take them to dark places they would dare not step.We all come into this world the same way. It is these events, both good and bad, that shape and mold how we exists. Our lives are short and often very fragile. We have to learn that not everyone has everything, and that our greatest ability as people is to turn our biggest weaknesses into our most powerful strengths.

No More Drama

Yesterday I was at my parents house just talking to my father about work and such when my mom's close friend came in the house. The next hour became the most annoying hour of my life. It seemed that all she would do is talk to my mother about who likes who, what couples are fighting, who wants to get a divorce, and who is mad because they were not on some one's party invitation. I have never been more disgusted in my life.
When I graduated high school, I had this strange idea in my head that all the gossip would stop, the drama would dissipate, and we would all realize we are mature adults and move on in our lives.I could not have been any more wrong. Women in their 40s and 50s were still talking about the same stupid stuff they were talking about when they were 15. I really do not understand what the point of all this is.
I guess part of the problem is what we are exposed to. Constant showings of these dramatic lifestyles that end in a positive result may be just enough fuel we need to live our lives the same way. We have been diluted and brainwashed into thinking that if we act the same way as these characters we see on T.V we will get the same result. However, we should be able to look beyond this and understand that it is not real.
We really can not blame anyone but ourselves. There is a time and a place for dramatic action. I feel like our overuse of drama in our lives may be the reason we are so desensitized to certain situations. Let me give you an example...
If person X makes a gigantic deal about problems at work, problems with family, problems with friends, people start to get annoyed. People expect a huge deal out of every little problem, and as a result they stop really caring. Then suddenly, person X gets into a huge fight with their significant other and is really hurt by it. Person X goes to tell her friends who do not console person X for the problem because to be honest, they are sick of the drama.
The message here is simple. We need to realize we are in the real world and start acting like it. We need to see that there are so many more important things in our life that we are not seeing because there has been a shadow of drama and tension cast over us. We need to shine the light of reason and logic on these shadows, and hope that it shines bright enough to lead the way for the future of us as individuals.

Plans

The only thing you should plan in life is to plan to be suprised.

The Hands Free Headset

The blue tooth head piece for cell phones. Hands down one of the stupidest most frustrating inventions I have ever witnessed. I understand that some laws do not allow people to use their hands to hold their phones while driving but I am sure calls can wait. I mean nothing is more confusing then when I pull up to a red light and notice the man in the next car over making frightening gestures and screaming by himself in the car. I get really freaked out, and until I notice the little piece in his ear I wonder to myself how someone so obviously insane was ever allowed to operate a car. I mean, the whole reason you hold a cell phone up to your ear is that it is a signal to other people that you are, in fact, talking to someone else. We all look like idiots walking around screaming and talking to ourselves. Technology is a great thing and has helped us come so far as people, but this is one invention I really think has to go. On top of everything else, it hurts your ears, and is just kinda stupid.

Stop Taking Life So Seriously

Sorry I have not been able to post in a few days, family emergency.

Having said that, I know to a lot of you my last post seemed a little out of the ordinary. My point was not that we should all rage against the machine and try to go against the grain. My point was that we as a society are so restricted by these unwritten rules that nobody takes the time to truly just appreciate how nice it feels to smile at a stranger, start a conversation in the elevator, or just tell someone your working with that they are doing a really good job. It seems as though nobody really wants to put themselves out there anymore, and everyone is too busy trying to get theirs to worry about what anyone else wants. Although we are very social creatures and communication is a very serious part out our culture, recently as years have passed everyone has become so self centered and greedy that they do not take the time to appreciate the fellow man.
We all need to stop taking life so seriously. Every now and then just realize that it is a blessing alone that you are alive and able to do the things you do every day. Being able to smell, touch, and taste all these little things in our world is such a great gift that it seems everyone has forgotten about. Everyone wants the new Ferrari or Bentley and forget about how nice it is to just lay on the grass and do nothing. I am not saying to completely abandon your desire and ambition because those two things are what keeps us moving. What I am saying is that every once and while even if it is only for a few minutes, put everything else aside and just realize how amazing everything around you is. Think about how amazing it is that you can see stars hundreds of millions of miles away, or good it feels to just stand out in the rain. We do not know how long we are going to be able to truly notice the little things, so don't let these moments pass.

Try It Out

Today I really want to keep it short and to the point. However, it is something you I really want all of you to really think about and take into consideration. The lives all of us live are based on these rules and boundaries that our culture creates for us. We are cast into invisible cells and bars and walls that we do not even realize trap us in a life of normalcy. Just one time, some time during the next couple days, I want each one of you to do something completely out of the ordinary. Maybe its something as stupid as not staring at the floor numbers on the elevator, or starting a conversation with the person using the urinal next to you. Just try something that breaks an unwritten rule, and see how shocked everyone around you becomes. Only then will you truly realize how enclosed we really are as people.

Picking Your Battles

Today I really want to focus on the idea of respect for your elders. It is written everywhere, and a rule that we have done our best to follow as people as long as anyone can remember. However, I think there is a time and a place where you have to stand up for yourself, pick your battles, and defend your opinions.
Time and time again I see people back to to adults because they feel that although they are right, the adults are the adults and that gives them a free pass to be right no matter what the circumstance is. Now I am not saying that you should argue a punishment for being out late or something like that. These petty things are so small in perspective that you really need to just let things like that go. In hindsight most likely you will realize that every punishment you have received has been for a good reason and you are a better person because of it.
What I am talking about here is the idea that elders can say what they want about you and you just have to take it. I do not care if it is a family member, or a stranger, or anyone, if you are offended you need to defend yourself. You can't let people walk all over you for the soul reason that they are older. Allow me to explain in further detail.
My family is the typical close knit Italian family that sees each other at least once a week. My mothers entire side of the family lives in the same town, and every Friday and Sunday we have dinner together. Now my grandmother on my mom's side, God bless her, has a very big problem with voicing her opinions. She really just says whatever comes into her head and she does not care who she offends. On top of that she does not ever want to be wrong and will argue to the death. Today I had one of the most frustrating arguments I have ever had with her.
Let me start by saying that I have had a problem with my back for the past few months but was not smart enough to ever see a doctor, recently I suffered an injury that re aggravated the injury. and it has only gotten worse since. I am at risk of losing my summer job that consists of manual labor, and without that money it is gonna be near impossible to pay my rent at my off campus house I live in at school.
So I am already upset to begin with and very distraught over the whole situation, but I still go to my grandmother's house with the family to try and forget about it. I was messing around with my younger cousins who I only really get to see in the summer, only to hear from my grandma that I am faking my injury, making my mom miserable, tearing apart my family, and so on. Now everyone tends to back down from my grandma because we all know her personality, and usually I would be the first one to do the same. However, I am not letting anyone tell me that I am faking an injury that has caused me so much pain and grief.
The result of this argument was my grandma telling me to leave the house and so I did. I do not plan on going there anytime soon.
My point here is this, in your life you are given certain choices. People are always going to try and break you. There is always going to be someone in your life who is trying to put you down no matter how well you are doing. What we have to do is know when to turn our cheek. The problem with us as a society is that people tend to constantly confront or constantly turn the other cheek. Every situation is different, and you can not possibly use the same rules for every individual circumstance. We have to asses each case as it arises in our lives. Then and only then can we truly decide what the right thing to do is. Now I do not know right now if what I did was right or wrong. What I do know is that I stood up for myself and showed my family that I will not be walked all over no matter who it is by, and for that I will never apologize.

Appreciation " How do you remember/keep yourself in check?"

To answer your question, it really is not easy to constantly appreciate what you are given. A lot of times people get caught up in the moment and don't realize what they have until time has already passed them by. When I decided that I wanted to take a greater appreciation for the life I live, I started every night. Every night before I went to bed I would take a few minutes to really think about my day. Once I thought about my day I thought about everything involved that made the day good if it was a good day or kept me going if it was a bad day. Than as days and weeks and months went on, the appreciation became almost habitual. Pretty soon you find yourself appreciating the first snow of the winter only a few hours after it happens.
To truly get it in the moment takes a lot of time but you have to trust me, once you do get there it is the most incredible feeling on earth. Being able to sit out on your porch and look up at the blue sky and really take in how amazing it is that your alive to witness it. Knowing in the moment how special a person could be to you can be more powerful than any memory of them you will ever have. Walks in the park will be the time of your life and food will taste better than it ever has before.
So in conclusion, being able to keep yourself in check is really more of a habit than anything else. I worked myself into it slowly and over time. You can not just decide one day your going to appreciate everything around you, life does not work like that. You have to take things one step at a time and let your memory's and emotions carry you farther than your legs ever could.
I hope this answers your question.

"So why do alot of your articles make it sound like our time is running out?"

This is a very good question for me to start with. As you probably have all noticed, I tend to stress the appreciation of the time we have. There are two main reasons I do this.
The first takes me back to my freshmen year in high school. To make a long and sad story much shorter, I lived next to my grandmother who was getting very old and sick. My parents left me the house for the night and my only responsibility was to check on her. In the heat of the moment, I opted to go out with a bunch of older guys instead for the popularity points, and while I was gone my grandma fell. My family found her the next day and by the time I go to the hospital she was gone. I really never did have a chance to truly say goodbye to her. It is a mistake that I am forced to live with for the rest of my life, and since I can not change the past, I want to use that experience to enlighten the futures of the people around me if possible.
The second reason is also self explanatory. I am currently in a relationship with a girl I care about very much, unfortunately, she attends school 350 miles away from me, and at times it gets very hard. I miss her almost constantly when I am at school and talk to her as much as I can, but nothing beats the feeling of actually being able to hold the person you care about so much. When I am with her I make sure that I appreciate every second of it and truly thank God for every time I get the chance to be with her. To get the most out of relationships, I hope you all do the same.

I hope this answers your question, and I am looking forward to many more in the future.

Trying Something New

I would like to change up the format of my blog a little bit. I would like readers to email me and ask me questions that I will be answering in my posts. I feel like I have a lot to offer and my advice will prove to be helpful in the lives of a lot of people. My email is jbytheday@gmail.com and I am really looking forward to hearing from all of you. Thanks

Making Time On Your Side

Today I would like to talk about time. Although the concept of time is relatively man made, it seems that it really does contol most of our everyday lives. Your either coming in on time, don't have enough time, running out of time, or watching time fly as your having fun. It appears that time is the only thing we need, and yet we have no control as it passes us by.
I am going to be short and sweet with my entry today. Really appreciate the time you are given and the time you have with people. Take full advantage of every second you are given and live every second you have to the fullest. Don't not call a girl back because you want to wait a little so she does not think your desperate. Call her right away if you care about her because if this girl can turn out to be the one you want to spend the rest of your life with you do not want to waste a second of it. Take time out of your day to really appreciate the world around you. Watch the colors change on the leaves in the autumn. Even if your freezing cold in the dead of winter, jump out in the snow just once so you can remember what it was like to be a kid again.
People often waste time doing nonsenical tasks. I can honeslty say that I am not for this particular lifestyle. I have learned at a relatively young age that life comes at you and goes by very quickly. You never know when an event will strike that changes the course of the rest of your days. So take time out, even if its right after you read this article, and really appreciate what you are given, who has been brought into your life, and furthermore, appreciate life itself.

Simple, But Unforgettable

We as people are very social creatures. I think that we all have our wants. Some of these wants can be as small as a new bike, affection from a member of the opposite sex, or even something as simple as one day where everything just goes well. However, I think among everything else the one thing that all people want is to be remembered in some way. To know that their life did not go without purpose, and to feel that that have affected others in some way. In some cases, this want can be the fuel for how we end up living the rest of our lives.
I know I would always like to be remembered. It is a strange thought to think that after my life is over, my name would never be uttered again, my works would be forgotten, and my life would seem almost meaningless. A white dwarf that quickly dissipates into a black whole, never to be seen by the human eye again. I hope that in my life I can have some kind of impact on some kind of person. Now this does not mean that I have to dive across train tracks to save an injured toddler. There are many ways you can impact people and change lives.
I hope to impact each of you with my writing. I hope my words have a lasting impression on you, and although you may not agree, you always will understand that I am able to speak my mind clearly and fluently in a way that makes sense. I hope that teachers remember me as one of the good students who was going places, whether or not I end up actually doing so. Most importantly, I hope that those I care most about remember me as a person who truly cared about them, and that my parents two of those people. I do my best to try and live like if I were to disappear tomorrow and never be heard from again, that my name and more importantly, my character and thoughts, will be echoed for years to come.
So in conclusion I leave you with this. Do not hold grudges to prove a point. Do not use petty jealously and tricks to get what you want. Always try your best be forward and precise with your points. Most of all, always let the people that you will never forget know how important they are. This line is corny and overused, but you never know how many more times your going to have to tell them what they mean to you.

Holding Together While The Household Falls Apart

" I had a rough childhood"
Never has that expression been thrown around as we have seen in recent years. Every murderer, rapist, child pornography, alcohol and drug abuser, they all blame their parents. We as a society are actually started to feel bad for these people, and almost excuse their actions in our minds. I don't think I am the only one who notices that this kind of behavior is morally wrong at best and moronic at worst.
Parents have been parenting the same basic ways for centuries. If a child is bad, they get hit. Hopefully, they never do whatever they did to earn the beating again. If they were dumb enough to try the same stunt again, watch out. I am not saying I am condoning hitting a child who misbehaves, what I am saying is, how come all of a sudden this behavior, that has been seen as effective for years, is considered wrong.
I believe the answers lie in the media. We pay constant attention to these children's shattered lives, sob stories, tears. Never do we bother to ask ourselves what these kids did to deserve the punishment they receive. Everyone tends to assume that it was unprovoked, which I am sure is wrong in most cases.
The fact of the matter is that nobody ever said you had to like your family. I know plenty of people that do not get along with family members and still live very successful lives. I personally have a family that argues with me constantly, and yelling and threats are seen as commonplace in my household. However, I have never even done as much as consider any of these criminal acts that these other people seem to turn to first after family conflicts. I am not alone either. I know people who go through violent divorces, parents in jail, or parents that just ignore them or beat them. These same kids are now college students who have complete control of their lives, from what I can see.
There is so much stress on family now and I personally think its kind of ridiculous. Sure, if you have a family that supports you and treats you like a decent human being you have a great thing going. However, if you do not, its not the end of the world. There are still plenty of things that we can do to have people in our lives that care for us. People can seek comfort in friends, teachers, whoever they feel is close to them. Do not let society dictate how we act and what we become.

Go to who you feel is right, and reach out for those who you feel will always reach back to you.

Fathers Day Thoughts

So as well all know it is father's day and everyone is out celebrating with his or her father. Some people have good relationships with their father, others not so much. I took this time today to write about how I think a father and a dad are two completely different people.
Any guy can be a father. All you have to do is find a girl, conceive a child, and have that child be born. That is what a father is to me. There is a biological reason and purpose that the man has served, making him the father.
A dad however, is completely different from a father. A dad is the guy that helps raise the kid, takes him to baseball games, plays a game of catch in the back yard, helps with homework, and ultimately becomes a substantial part of the child's life. A dad does everything he can to help raise and support the child and no matter what happens, makes every effort to be involved with his child.
In my opinion, a dad also does not have to be biological. When I played basketball for an AAU organization I had a very good relationship with my coach. He taught me lessons about life, girls, drugs, alcohol, and of course basketball. He taught me lessons that went beyond the basketball court, and helped me become the person I am today. I consider him as dad type figure because of this, and although we only talk a few times a year now, he made a great impact on my life.
So for those of you that have lost your fathers, or never really had a good relationship to begin with, you can all still celebrate. For those of you that have lost your fathers, I hope you take this day to appreciate the time you had together. For those of you who never had a really good relationship with your father, that does not mean you don't have a dad in your life. Maybe he is a middle school teacher who taught you valuable lessons, maybe he is a sports coach that still keeps in touch, or maybe he is just a man down the street that every once and a while offered to take you to the movies with him and and his son. We all have one guy in our lives that has shaped the way we live in a positive light, and we must take this day to remember this man. Even if he is not your father, he can still be your dad. For those of you who are fathers, appreciate every second you have with your children, because it will go by fast, and trust me, you won't want to miss it.

Gaining Weight, Losing Time

It is no secret that obesity has become a major problem in the United States. As we go on as a country we get progressively larger, and this really does not show any sign of stopping. People want to blame places such as McDonald's, Burger King, the schools for not offering enough time for recess, and television for making so many programs. The truth of the matter is, none of these places are to blame.
Believe it or not we as humans have the power to choose what we do and where we do it. I know, this is shocking news to a lot of you, but just hear me out. Instead of going to eat fast good, we can always eat something else. Instead of blaming the schools for making our children fat, how about we just put them out in the backyard and let them play outside for a change. Why don't we lock up the X Box and PlayStation's and try tag and catch.
It is proven that children take the habits they learn at an early age and carry them out throughout the majority of their lives. If this is true then having them eat healthy food, or at least food that's less bad for you, will surely lead them down healthier lifestyles.
This is a subject that I can really speak about from in depth personal experience. When I was young I was overweight and this lasted until I was about 11. Now what happened when I was 11 you ask. I joined the basketball team, and I got in shape. I played pick up basketball games outside, and spent a lot less time in the house. I also decided to give up junk food, which is a decision that has lasted me the past 9 years. I got myself into shape and never looked back. By making a few small decisions like less T.V. time, an occasional jog, and food that won't guarantee a heart attack, I was able to completely turn my life around.
My youngest sister is quite the opposite. She is about 9 years old and I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw her outside, and it shows. She indulges in fast food frequently and junk food just as often. She is commonly seen eating out of pure boredom, and a lot of the times it is upsetting to watch.
Although ultimately it is my parents decision on how to raise her, I can not help but think that she will be miserable as soon as she starts getting a hard time from classmates about her weight. The next 5 to 10 years of her life following that will be filled with pointless diets and mindless fasting. Ultimately she will be very upset a good amount of time, and it is a sad thought to think about.
What I am trying to say here is this. I understand that kids will be kids and eat fast food, play video games, and so on. Based on that, we have to try and cut down on how much time they have to do these things. An hour or so of T.V. a day, maybe only some video games, and only a few fast food meals a month. One step at a time we have to develop healthier more physically trying activities for our youth or they will end up living substantially shorter and unhealthier lives. Its a long process, but moving in the right direction slowly is much better than not moving at all, which in case you have not noticed, is what most of the kids these days are doing.

Why Life And Plans Don't Mix

As I get older, I realize that for the most part, people tend to take life too seriously. I think Johnny Depp said it best in the movie Blow when he said, "Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it." This is probably my favorite quote of all time because of how true it is. So many people are out planning every little detail of their life that they forget to actually live it.
In my personal opinion, life can be broken down in its smallest form to a series of moments. Most of these moments are small with little meaning no matter what you do in that particular moment, your life will continue to remain on its current course. However, every once and a while you get these large moments that will greatly impact the way you live the rest of your life. Depending on what you do with these moments, you can completely change the course you are going in, and ultimately where you end up.
Basing the way I live my life on that theory, I find it very hard to go about and make these grand plans for myself. Honestly I think that the only thing you can really, truly plan, is to be surprised. These surprises can be good some of the time. This includes getting that promotion you did not expect, finding a fifty dollar bill on the ground, and even something as stupid as going through a day with no problems. However, with every good surprise, there are more than enough bad ones. It is how we handle these bad situations that really define who we are as people. Overcoming adversity, climbing over these walls that others constantly put up to block our aspirations, and pushing yourself to new heights when your at the lowest you can possibly ever be, is what life is all about. Proving to others and more importantly to yourself, that you are capable of taking a turn for the worst and turn it into a lesson that will last a lifetime.
So in conclusion I would like to say this. Life is full of moments, but that does not mean you can pick and choose which ones pass you by. Take full opportunity of everything given to you, big or small, and I am sure that you will end up on the right path, whether it is the one you expected or not.

Close Your Mouths, Open Your Eyes

Guy talk more than likely has the largest effect on how men react in their everyday lives. Everyone is out trying to impress their friends, brag about sexual endeavors, and ultimately prove that they are the most masculine in the group. I am here to tell you now that it is attitudes like this that have lead to such high relationship conflicts and divorce rates in the United States.
There is nothing good that comes out of demeaning and sexually exploiting girls that you have been with, especially if the girl happens to be your girlfriend. Often times I have heard friends of mine go into grotesque detail about how they behave sexually with girls and often times these were girls that they were dating.
Being in a relationship is about having mutual respect for you as well as your partner. If this girl really means something to you, than just being with her and seeing her happy should be more than enough reason for you to be happy. Those who decide to talk about every little detail of their personal lives with every guy around them are those who are so uncomfortable with how people look at them that they are talking up a storm to try and overcompensate.
Now this not to say that talk about personal lives cannot be good. If someone is dealing with a trying issue with a girl than it is completely normal to ask a friend for help or advice. The question is, are these people really looking for help, or just another excuse to brag?
The whole reason to brag has always been beyond my comprehension as well. What are you trying to prove? We are all adults here unless told otherwise, we assume that everyone else has had some kind of a encounter with the opposite sex. So really, are you bragging to prove to others your adequate, or yourself?
I currently have a girlfriend and am involved in a type of long distance relationship. Being that I am in school a majority of the year, it gets hard a lot of time. I will however tell you that at no time did I ever brag to other people about her. As a matter of fact for a long time people did not even know we were together. The reason for this is because just being able to see her and be with her and actually hold her is more than enough to make me happy. I do not need to prove anything to anyone, and even if people were to assume that every time we are together we sit on opposite sides of the room and watch television, so be it. I care about her and respect a great deal, and I would never do something as disrespectful as talking about what goes on with us behind close doors. Why would I risk ruining the relationship with a person that has made me so happy for so long?
My point here is, we get too caught up with our own sexual innuendos that we forget to truly appreciate how blessed we are. Caring is more than just a feeling, it is an ability, and often times I find that people take complete advantage of that. Being that this is my summer vacation, and speaking from experience, I need to stress the idea that we should be appreciating every second we spend with these people we care about most. Close your mouths and open your eyes to how lucky you are. Put aside macho instincts, ignore the guys, lay down with your girl, and just thank God for every second you have with her.

The Drama Of Text Messaging

I love texting. I am a big fan of it and it really is probably one of my favorite recent technological advances. Having said that, people really put too much thought into text messaging. Allow me to explain...
When texting first came out, it was such a great tool for so many people. The working man was able to text measurements to a partner on the job site where it would be hard to find a paper and pen. High school students were able to communicate about the weekends plans in the middle of English class. Yeah, life was great. However, now we have these "texting rules" that have really taken over as our main means of communication.
My friend recently met a girl the other day, who gave him her number. She than told him to call her sometimes. Me and this friend were sitting in his apartment hanging out as he stared at the phone in his hand. When I asked him why he does not just call her his response was that he was going to text her, he just does not know when.
So finally he builds up the courage to text her and she texts back asking him what he is up to. He then proceeds to stare at the phone. Again I asked what he was doing. He told me that he didn't want to text back too fast because he does not want to seem desperate, and he does not want to wait too long or he will seem uninterested. He waited exactly 8 minutes, and sent the text "Nothing, you?".
Oh, it all makes sense now! She texted him as a test to see how long he would respond! Lets ignore the fact that she responded to his original message (which obviously means she is not completely ignoring him and giving him a chance) and jump to the conclusion that she is sitting in her room with a stop watch timing exactly how long he waits to text her. One second under 8 minutes, and he is done for. Please, give me a break. A text message was originally invented for convenience. If your busy when you feel your phone vibrate or hear your favorite N'SYNC ring tone, you can respond when your NOT busy. The beautiful thing about a text message is that its not going anywhere anytime soon. If you are not busy and see that you have a text, respond to it! Why wait? The person would not be texting you if they did not want to talk to you. There is no need to lose hair over it, just text her back.
More problems arise with texting, especially when texting an interest of the opposite sex. Phrases you meant to be sarcastic humor can be taken as a serious statement, and vice versa. My point here is this; if a girl says, "call me" chances are you should probably do what she told you and pick up the phone and call. Even if she says to text her, call her and show a little initiative. This texting drama needs to stop, and you can help! No donations or recycling is needed either. All you have to do is, next time you have nothing to do and you want to see what someone your not with is up to, pick up the phone, and call.

The Gray Area

I think that the worst thing you could ever call someone is a bad person. Forgot all the curse words and "your momma" jokes, calling someone a bad person is one of the most offensive things you could say. It is so simple, and yet incredibly straight forward and to the point. Bad people go to Hell, or at least that is what a good amount of us are tough from a young age. So by saying someone is "bad" your condemning them to hell in your mind.
The question really is, how do we define what a bad person is? I mean there are the obvious morally wrong bad people that everyone knows. If you commit a senseless murder, your probably a pretty bad person. If you commit rape, your most likely a bad person as well. These extremes make it very easy for people to classify others and put them in to specific categories. However, most of us do not fall into either extreme. For us, there is a dark, murky, gray area, the likes of which we continue to wade through in attempts to sort out our lives every day.
Let me give you an example. A man sells marijuana, a very basic drug dealer. Is he a bad man? Yes, the drugs are illegal. However, legality is something that is man made. Who are we to decide if this makes this man a bad person. Furthermore, if marijuana becomes legal, is he relieved of all his wrong doings?
As I recall not so long ago, it was illegal for blacks to sit in the front of the bus. Yet for sitting in the front, Rosa Parks is considered one of the most powerful voices in the civil rights movement, although what she did was not legal. I know that was a bit of an extreme example but it proves the point that these man made laws should not be the deciding factor on if a person is good or bad.
Selling drugs is wrong, but what if you have lost your job in the recession and have no way to feed your children. Stealing is wrong, but what if your starving? Every action that every person will ever commit in his or her entire lifetime is based on set of circumstances and situations, and like snowflakes, no two are alike. I understand that laws are made to keep order, and they do. However, for every petty thief there is a man doing the same actions in an attempt to support his family. I truly believe that there are not as many "bad" people in this world as we place the title on. I am not saying that people who steal don't deserve to be punished, because they do. What I am saying is that although all arrested thieves will be punished, we should really take the time to asses each persons individual situation in our hearts. Really put yourself in someones shoes before you label them as bad. Know what its like to suffer before you condemn the suffering.

Finally, and this is most important, every man on this earth has the ability to change for the better, and we must never forget that.

Organized Chaos

I am sure I am not breaking new ground when I say that money rules everything in our lives. It is something everyone knows, and has known for years. The value of a green piece of paper with a dead president on it has been driving the way we live our lives for a very long time. I am just as much a victim to this as everyone else is. However, I would like to take the time to actually talk about this.
Money, its values, its worth, are all things that are man made. We have given ourselves these monetary obstacles and now we are struggling to climb over them. A lot of the time I hear people say, "Well if we didn't have money there would be chaos." My question is, what do you call this? Friends stabbing each other in the back to try and get that promotion. Jumping over hurdles to please your boss and doing anything he asks in hopes that you will one day be the one that gets to make the soft serve cones instead of scooping the Italian ice. Stealing others ideas and using them as your own, ultimately costing them a job, just so you can get your paycheck. The sad thing is, these are only the acts of the people that have jobs.
To those who are unemployed and close to giving up, robbery and theft are commonplace. Pickpockets walk the street now more than ever, and drug dealing is a resort that people will quickly go to in order to feed families pay rent. All of this sounds pretty chaotic to me.
Now I am not a saint and am not going to pretend that I am. I am just as materialistic as the next man and my wants greatly outweigh the items I can actually afford. However, I am now taking the time to look at the life I live and see that there must be a better way.
We are all struggling right now, and for a lot of us it is a struggle that will follow us through the rest of our lives and be passed on to our children with our debt. I understand that we are all sprinting full speed to chase the American dream, but I feel like at some point we need to stop running. Take a walk through the park, lay on your backyard hammock on a nice or rainy day, and just appreciate the things you have in your daily life that money could never buy. Maybe if we all just slowed down enough, the American dream will come to us.

Family..1st?

We have all heard the expression : Family first, everything else can wait. However, the truth of the matter is that for a lot of people family may not come first. As we progress as a society the divorce rate has seemed to skyrocket, and as a result families are suffering. Now it is more likely a marriage will fail in the United States rather than last. How are we expected to put a family first, if over half the families we have are in pieces?
This is not the only problem. Parents in this generation fall victim to the two extremes. Some are extremely needy. You see these parents time and time again. They are the ones that try to be the "cool" parents. If this means taking the kids out to MacDonald's every other day, so be it. These parents try entirely too hard to be included in their child's lives. The reason for this is that they probably did not receive much attention as a child, and are trying to make up for the lost time in that relationship. As the child gets into his teens, these same parents are the ones that allow the kids to drink in the basement, and sometimes, even have a drink or two with them themselves. Although in the here and now those kids thing the parents are the greatest thing ever, the parents have zero control over the relationship, and that will never end well.
The other type of parents are the extreme hard asses that don't give their kids the time of day. Now by themselves, these parents would not be too bad. Sure having kids work for their own money and cook for themselves and handle themselves from a young age is a great asset to have and will surely help them in the long run. However, with all the neediness displayed by the other parents, the kids are now starving for attention they do not receive at home. This will ultimately lead to acting out and sometimes even seeking negative attention, as long as they are being recognized in some way. Also, this cannot be good.
my point today is the following. Although family is very important to a lot of people, it is not the top of every ones priorities. For a good amount of people, a best friend or a significant other will always be the first one they turn to. This does not make them bad people, it makes them people who understand the people that will help them most in their time of need and be there when nobody else is. Ignore the stupid expressions, do whats best for you.

Lifetime Fitness- When Working Out Is A Trend

Recently, my small town has been "blessed" with the arrival of a new Lifetime Fitness Center. In a time when all we talk about is how little money we have and how much we need to save, I thought to myself that this would not last a day. To my surprise, it Lifetime had over 1000 members before it even opened. Upon opening it received hundreds more. How can people afford 100 dollar a month memberships when they are struggling to put food on the table? Well I will tell you.
In a small town such as the one I live in, everyone here tries so hard to look rich and powerful. Everyone wants to be considered in the upper crust, and will go to great extents just to be a part of the most common trends. For now, Lifetime is that trend. With its sauna, Olympic sized swimming pools, play rooms for children, and gigantic cafeteria, it has become more of a hang out than anything else. This is not to discredit the people who actually work out. To them, this is a great place to work out and then relax after. However, for most people this is a sorry excuse to be a part of a club. People are joining for the soul reason that everyone else is and it is more than pathetic to watch.
Seeing grown men and woman act so childish really makes me think about whats going on in this town. It seems people are growing older, yet maturity stays the same. People trying to fit in to certain social groups, be a popular member, eat at the cafeteria where everyone else is eating, to be brutally honest if Lifetime crowned a Prom King and Queen every year, I would not be surprised in the least.
My point here is to the parents, particularly speaking to parents who are so caught up in their glory days they cannot see how much money they are throwing away. My message to those people is, save 100 dollars a month, an extra 1200 dollars a year. Use that money and put it towards your kids college, or the mortgage, or something less juvenile. As a town, and more importantly as a country, we need to really buckle down, tighten our belts, and focus on whats most important.

What scares me most is that to some people, how they appear in the public eye might be whats most important.

The FIlm Industry: Superheros Rescue Our Spirits

The 2000 decade has provided some of the most successful superhero based movie franchises in history. This includes the year 2000 release of X-Men all the way to the new blockbuster hit that dominated the film industry, The Dark Knight, and all the films in between. With the fall in the economy and spirits of the American people after 9/11 and the war in Iraq, this superhero’s seemed to take new life in “rescuing” ones problems, even if it was only for a few hours. The long and short lasting effects of these films have proven to be a substantial part of the lives of many people in recent years due to the messages they send.
The film industry really did a good job in selecting the best time to release these films. The people in America that used to read these comic books when they were young are now in their 40’s and 50’s. However, they are still young enough at heart and the movie is made in such a way that grabs their interests, as their imaginations that once ran wild while reading these comic books and just imagining what these scenes would look like. Now these characters come to life before their very eyes. For the average male between the ages of 18 and 36, a superhero film also hits the spot. The sex appeal of the beautiful woman as well as the seemingly nonstop action create the ultimate cinematic thrill ride, and the love story makes it so even the females in this age group can enjoy the film with their significant other. Finally, you have to mention the children, which this movie also appeals to. What could be better as a kid than to see a cartoon hero come to life? The violence is not that bad either, so kids can enjoy the movie without being scared and having minimal problems with parents regarding to violence or sexual content. Overall these movies cover such a broad scope of ages and people; it is no surprise why they have become such a big hit.
In conclusion, Superhero’s give people an escape from reality, while at the same time providing plots that will poke and prod at issues that the people are facing today. Between the appeal of the woman, the rough upbringing of the hero, the incredibly godly powers, and the villain out to destroy the hero, these films have all the makings of a successful box office hit. These conventional methods cover all of the necessary categories you need to make a successful film and in the process they teach the audience an important message to never give up and that if you truly believe in yourself you have the ability to overcome the toughest of obstacles.

Here We Go..

This blog was created in an attempt to enlighten people on my thoughts about certain circumstances facing our world today. My main focus will be on suburbia, which I feel is the route of a vast majority of the problems we are facing. I will not be talking about politics or the economy or anything like that. This will simply be about ideas I feel are important in everyday life. Like the title states, I will be taking things "By The Day". My goal is that in the process of writing frequently and talking about my beliefs and opinions I will be able to increase my skills as a writer, enlighten readers on my values and thoughts and hopefully, learn more about myself. This will be the first of many almost daily posts that I hope will receive solid feedback, as I am attempting to establish myself as a solid writer in hopes of a future columnist career. Thank you for your time, and hopefully you will be reading more of my work.