So I'm feeling old...

I don't mean like I need a cane and my arthritis has been acting up and I use windex to cure life's ills kind of old, maybe just older. I think I was 21 when the Cavs signed Lebron to a huge deal and then Nike gave him $100 million. He was 18, I was 21. Lebron 1, Dave 0. Now its weird to read the news any time there is a sports draft and see people younger than me getting huge paydays. I'm not saying I should be getting a 5 years $36 million dollar contract with a $8 million dollar signing bonus, free hotel stays for my family for away games and unlimited use of the owner's private jet. These guys can run a 4.5 40, they can hit a fastball, drain the 3 under pressure. I answer phones, deal with clients, chase parts. I'm not saying I don't put in an honest day's work, because I know I do. But I've honestly thought about what I could have done differently in my life that could have secured that kind of money, and I can't think of it. I was an mediocre wrestler who never tried hard enough to be good, but even if I was good, it wouldn't have earned me Lebron style coin. I'm not completely confortable with the idea that we pay someone who plays a game that much money but I guess my capitalistic side says its a wash in the end. If we don't give it to them, its going to someone. Someone gonna make that money.

I'm also not saying that its ok that 14 year old kids in the Dominican Republic are getting a $750,000 signing bonus because they can throw a good curveball. Nor am I saying that its ok that kids can't get a great education in many places, but cities and states are more than happy to pony up $500 million for the next big stadium, retractable roofs, clean sightlines, $8 beers, $12 fish and chips. Young people don't think about these things. I've dropped thousands of dollars on Sox tickets and concert tickets over the last couple years. Thousands. I look back, realizing that I had a good time, but it was a waste. I love Fenway, don't get me wrong, but I'm a big guy and I'm usually bruised after 3 hours of sitting in a seat that was obviously not made with me in mind. I'm usually so uncomfortable that I don't actually enjoy watching the game. I drink beers at the game, $6 a pop, maybe some Fenway Franks at $4. Why wouldn't I just go to my sister and brother in law's and watch the game on their couch in crystal clear hi-definition? I could drink beers there, from the bottle, at like $1 per piece. I could even pan fry some hot dogs, $6 for the whole package with buns. Drunk girl behind me wouldn't spill beer on me. I could actually see balls and strikes. There is something about being there in the action, to be able to say to someone, oh I was there at the game last night and I almost got hit with a foul ball, even though you didn't. 20 years from now you want to tell your kids you used to go to Fenway all the time, beers were only $6 a piece back then. We would hang out at the Baseball Tavern after the game. It doesn't sound as exciting to say I used to watch the game at Auntie Michelle and Uncle Lance's?

Speaking of which, I'm going to have kids? Do you see what I mean? 2 years ago, kids were the farthest thing from my mind. I'm going to be a father someday? I'm going to be a husband? Growth, not just in years, but in maturity. Growth of the mind, body and soul. Maybe being old has perks. I'm still not old enough to feel flattered when I get carded to buy a beer, its just annoying. Maybe that'll come too.

Anways...Old. and get used to it.

Ethical Question, possibly even a moral dilemna

Soooo....I have a question for you.
I was reading Sports Illustrated the other day and came upon an article that tickled my fancy as well as my brain. It was about a game that is as American as apple pie, thats right, I'm talking about baseball. There was a game being played amongst 9-10 year olds in Utah, a league where they don't allow a team to score more than 4 runs in an inning, where everyone bats and everyone plays the field. When you're 9 or 10, regardless of what your dad tells you about your future in the sport, you're still learning, yeah some of them can throw a nasty curve or hit it 110 feet to the left field fence, but most can't. Well here is the dilemna: It is the bottom of the 9th, the team on the field is winning by a run, there are two outs, runner on first, got all that? All the pitcher needs to do is get one more out and this one is over, with Team A winning the 9-10 championships. Problem is, the best player on the team is about to come up to bat, hes had a home run and a triple in the game so far. Strictly speaking, he is the 9 year old David Ortiz. If this is the major leagues, you walk him, pitch to Manny, hope for the best, but this isn't the majors, and the kid behind him isn't Manny, its a 9 year old cancer survivor with bones and muscles so weak that hes required to wear a batting helmet when he plays center field, he has one hit on the season. What do you do? I really have to think about the situation, because I don't really know, my competitive nature, my need to win says you walk Papi to get to the little boy. But wait...this is a learning league, kids learn how to track a ball in the outfield, how to step and throw, how to keep the elbow up and swing through with both hands. But aren't they also learning baseball strategy? How to work the 6-4-3 duece, how to hit and run, the proper way to slide? If this is a learning league, why do they even have a championship? Because even parents, even board members of this little league have that win-at-all-costs instinct. There has to be a winner and loser. If they wanted to make it a real learning experience, they wouldn't keep score, every game would end in a tie, everyone would get a trophy right? Bullshit. We coddle children too much these days with play dates, timeouts, soccer moms, ipods, cell phones, fast cars as license presents, graduation breast implants, its crazy. Alright, maybe a little too much of a tangent there with the breast implants, but its still pretty crazy. Shouldn't we be teaching kids that life will always have winners and not winners (for those of you who want me to avoid the term loser) If two adults apply for a job that has one opening, someone is walking away without a job, it doesn't mean they'll never have a job, it just means they aren't going to have that job. If they lose a baseball game, that doesn't mean they will never win, it just means they aren't going to win today, isn't that a strategy for life? Teach them to throw a curve ball, bring them to the batting cage, play catch. Some kids aren't made out for sports, and for them, there is always the math league or student government, and they can make their mark there. We don't leave training wheels on forever right? Children need to learn, shit, my brother pushed me into a cement wall trying to teach me how to ride a bike. Did it hurt? Bet your ass, but did I avoid the wall the next time around? Bet your ass.

Do you see how these tangents work? Sorry about that. But seriously, it sucks. Here is this kid, 9 years old, cancer survivor, just wants to be treated like everyone else, (except he has to wear a batting helmet in center field) He can't hit for shit, but maybe it wasn't the cancer, maybe he just couldn't hit, who knows? Maybe he is destined for Math league greatness, king of the drama club, maybe he plays a mean tuba in the band. Pitching around the star player doesn't teach kids to hurt the weak, it teaches baseball strategy, it was a hard lesson, but it gave fifteen 9 and 10 year olds a championship. What happened to the boy? He struck out.

Let me know...

So I'm catholic. Well...I was catholic. I'm not sure how it works these days. I have very little faith in general, and even less in the catholic church, but I don't like it that I feel that way. I would like to have a faith, but I'm not sure you can agree with some idea of a religion, but not with others. Can some devout religious folk out there let me know if thats cool. I guess it depends if you have a progressive pastor, but I really don't know. I like the idea of going to church and communing with god, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet. Does this mean I have to find a church that agrees with all my views, or just the best. Like do I accept 3/5 on my ideals list? I guess that end is more of a personal decision, but I don't know. Is there anyone else out there that has the same problem? I'm pro choice, pro gay marriage and pro death penalty, all against catholic doctrine, so can I be catholic still or is that a faux pas? If someone passes over this, and has an opinion, drop me a line and let me know what you think. Thanks

NASCAR?

Did I miss something? Seriously? I mean don't get me wrong, I loved Days of Thunder (that was TC pre-psycho), but what is this country's obsession with NASCAR all about. I enjoy a good crash every once in a while, but I couldn't find 100,000 friends of mine to sit around a circle for 6 hours in the blazing hot sun hoping to see one. I hear people party like its 1999, but I could do that in a bar, or in my air conditioned house, at least I can change the channel and check the box scores. But I don't want to watch it on TV either. Unless they want to start having races on the highway amongst other citizen drivers, I would pay money to watch that, shit I'd even take a trip down 495 to drive in it.
I ask you a favor though race fans, please don't refer to what these guys do as a sport. I don't want to argue, I don't want your mulleted friends to hunt me down at the bar, but seriously, this is not a sport. I'm a big guy, don't get me wrong, so I'd sweat because I'm told it gets pretty hot in the car, but don't tell me that any person who drives 93 north or south to Boston every day couldn't place in the top 10 at Talledaga, or one of those short tracks. Bullshit.
If you want, we can put NASCAR in the games category, like badminton, bocce, cheerleading, horseshoes, bridge, poker, bid whist, checkers, slapsies and staring (yeah thats right, staring). I can't hit a baseball for shit, even if I practiced for months, years even, I could never be more than a 185 hitter. I throw a football, or catch one for that matter, maybe I could be an offensive lineman, but thats just a maybe. I can't skate or shoot a hockey puck on ice, and I can't hit a freethrow if you paid me money.
The US only sent one person to play badminton in the last Olympics, that means I could have gone too. I play mean game of bocce, in a pretty short period of time, I'm pretty sure I could be pretty good at it, same with horsehoes, and maybe even curling. Same goes for NASCAR. You could drop me in a car tomorrow and I'd have the skills that pay the bills within a couple weeks. Drafting, rubbin is racin, I'd get all that shit down pat and I'd be so money. I'd even change my name to Bobby Sue Daniels, grow a mullet, talk with a drawl, drink Keystone light and Jack, eat fried chicken, and in the off-season, I'd sing country music, shit, all I'd need to do is get a pickup and a dog, beat my girlfriend till she leaves me and sing songs about drinkin, shootin, beatin, hatin, lovin, and racin. I'd be a billionaire.
Thats it, I'm going to drive a stock car and sing country music, NASCAR is a sport, and if I hear any of you say anything, I done reckon that I'll let my mullet out, and sick my dogs on you, nobody done talk bad about my NASCAR.

Crap.

Go see Live.

Seriously...do it. I should preface that statement with a warning that I cannot be deemed responsible if the show sucks. They're playing the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom at the end of August. I've been to a ton of live shows, probably close to 30 or 40, and I can safely say that Live was a top 3 (U2 at the Fleet this year was the best show I've ever seen, awe inspiring, and I paid out the ass for it, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat) Live at the HBC is signifigantly cheaper and you'll know a lot more of their songs than I think you might suspect. I've never been to a show there, so I hope the venue doesn't suck, but I'm telling you, you should go and have a good time, plus, I'll be there, so it can't be all bad.

Yeah....about that....

Well I'll be straight up and honest with you, I suck at this. I totally thought I'd be writing more, but I'm just too lazy. I work, and I come home, and I do laundry and eat dinner, and I watch TV and then I go to bed. Its terrible. Honestly, I think about things to write about all the time, I should really carry a voice recorder or a small notebook with me and write them down, because I get home and then idea has been passed over. I picture the idea under torn up credit card applications, and the leftovers from last week's chicken experiemnt in my kitchen trash. Not only do I not want to go get it, it could be hazardous to my health if I did.

I have been thinking for a couple weeks about this single idea, not like every minute of every day, but usually just while I'm driving. I don't know if people think about how once simple thing can change the lives of hundreds or thousands of people. And I'm not using the example of President Bush sending soldiers to war, I'm thinking about small, somewhat inane thing. For instance: Your mom asks you to take out the garbage, you leave the backdoor open a hair, and the cat notices it. The cat gets out into the yard and decides to cross the street, while crossin the street, a car comes by, and while swerving to avoid the cat (unsuccessfully I might add) the car hits another parked car on the street killing the driver. The driver is dead, affecting every single person who knows him. The funeral director gets to keep his business open this month because a death occurred. The owner of the parked car didn't have insurance, so now he can't get to work, and hes probably going to lose his job. The cat is dead, and she had been with the family for years. The on call doctor at the hospital had to bring his 3 year old to his mother's house so he could rush to surgery for the passenger of the vehicle, and his child has a cold, hes going to give it to his grandmother and shes going to die from it. The story can literally go on for days. And all of it was caused by a single event, you not wanting to reach back in and unlock the door, so you left it open instead.

And I don't mean to be morbid about it either. You could have a day like fucking Charley Bucket, finding a coin in the sewer and buying a Wanka bar and getting the last goddamn golden ticket. Shit, he got that and his grandfather who hadn't been out of bed in years danced a goddamn jig, not to mention the fact that hes taking over the factory. All because some poor schmuck dropped his change while trying to load a box of tomatoes into his truck. The entire chocolate world in England (never understand how Charlie had an American accent while his teachers were dirty, buck toothed brits) has been left to a child. What happens if he fucks it up, and the chocolate world goes down in flames, and all the fucking oompa loompas are out of a job? I mean, I guess they could do some off-broadway shit, musical not drama.

Thats all I guess, just thinking about how simple things can change everything. Try and think about that for a minute, or tomorrow while you're driving to work, try it out for 5 minutes.

I'm gonna write more soon, I promise.

On the subject of Summerfest 2006. I suck again. I've been so GD busy that I haven't really researched. I want people to go, but it would have to be centralized, so that people would go. Let me know what you think? Would you go to an all day BBQ party, beers, whiffleball, DJ, and whatnot?

thanks

Keep it chill

What the fuck is Juice??!?

You see that? I'm a damned liar. I'm a lying liar who lies. I said I'd write a lot and in the short run, I did. But now as time has progressed, I've been lazy. Its weird, too because I'll be driving along and I'll think of something, and I'll be like "Shit, I should write that down to remember that I can write about it later on" And then I don't write about it, usually because I'm tired. I mean, I'm tired right now, don't get me wrong, but I feel the need to write, just because I haven't in so long and I know you're all disappointed. But here goes.

Who needs friends? Seriously, I've stopped taking applications, no more friends needed. I said something to Mark the other day about how we have a close knit group of friends who would walk 100 miles for us. And he said something that caught me off guard, "How many people do you seriously need to walk 100 miles for you?" I don't know I guess. I like the idea that I'm a pretty good friend and that people know if they need something, they could call me whatever time of night or day. And its funny too because I know there might be someone who reads me say that and says "I don't think you'd do that for me" or they'll say that I'm not actually a good friend. And its true, I'm sure there are some of you out there, but you still care enough to read my shit, and I'd still come jump your car in the middle of 495 at 3 in the morning. YOu'll be buying my ass Denny's and then we can talk about the issues at hand, but don't think that I'll never be there for you.
In the meantime though, seriously, I have enough good friends, and I mean pure people good friends that I could roll with a posse if needs by, and if I ever won the lottery, my life would be like the show Entourage minus the acting, and Bob Saget being my pot smoking,whore doing neighbor.

Can you name your best friends? I mean I'm sure you have them broken down into sub categorys, best friends from home, from school, from work, best family member, maybe your signifigant other is your best friend. Did you like them when you first met them? Think about it. I hated my best friends when I first met them. Looking back now, I might not have made it to this point in life without them.

On a point from a week ago, where the fuck did the East bunny come from? The rabbit is the pagan symbol for fertility, and I know the catholics recruited pagans by using some of their symbols and dates (i.e. Christmas was not the actual day that Jesus was born) But am dI supposed to believe that Jesus rolled the stone away on Easter morning dressed like a giant bunny? Can't you just picture him with his nappy hair sweating like mad walking through the desert with a bunny costume on? When he met with people he couldn't even preach the gospel, because the Easter Bunny doesn't talk. Giant Easter eggs filled with wine and bread. Must have been some hot ass wine with the sun from the desert beating down on it. He couldn't even use the wine for something to drink because it would have just dehydrated him even more. So yeah, the Easter bunny, a crock of shit. More commercialization by candy companies trying to make a buck.

Well thats it for now. in the meantime, ask yourself, what the fuck is juice? Personally I want some grape drink. Sugar....water.....purple.