on the friendship market

Well hello everybody! So what's new in Texas? Well a few things are new actually. I just had a job interview with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. I think it went pretty well, they said they are going to call next week (I feel like a school girl waiting for her crush to call here cause he said he would). So I'll wait by that phone all day Monday, wondering...they like me, they like me not, they like me, they like me not, they like me.

As for school I'm finishing up this semester and I'm actually quite impressed with myself. I will finish this semester with a 3.5 most likely, so that's good.

I did see a TV show that almost mirrored my "no friend" situation. On the show 'Yes, Dear', the lead character is a mid to late 30 year old guy who hasn't done much socializing since getting married. In this episode he realizes he doesn't have any friends anymore. He explains how weird it is for guys to just "make friends". That being said he is completly right, but I think I made a friend. It was a little weird. During the break from my class tonight we were talking outside and it was almost like trying to get a date with a girl (get all your stupid homo jokes out of your head right now). It must have looked and sounded pretty ridiculous, but we started talking about stuff we do for fun, and well I don't do anything cause I don't know anyone...he wants to be my friend LOL! I wanted to laugh so bad but I held back, so were gonna go to a strip club or a bar next weekend after our final, hey at least I got something to do. The funniest part was when he asked for my number...seriously guys should not have to make friends after the age of 22 it's just plain weird.

Shame on you!

Sorry to keep my fans waiting (if anyone even reads this), I took a little break from blogging to, like study and stuff...but I'm back bitches!

So after a short hiadeous what should I talk about...how about misconceptions? So what do I mean about misconceptions? The Duke Mens' Lacrosse team, the guys who raped that girl, right? Wrong! Isn't this the land of the free, the home of the brave and the place where you are innocent until proven guilty? Today as I was watching Sports Center I saw something that made me laugh hysterically, not cause it was funny, but becuase it finally shuts up all of the uninformed persecuters. Of the 46 men who gave DNA samples to the North Carolina district attorneys office ZERO matches were found. That's right ladies and gentlemen...ZERO! So for all of you who were part of the jury that already convicted them in the court of publich opinion, and especially those of you who protested on the Duke campus, apoligize. Don't apoligize to me or the lacrosse team, apoligize to your country for going against all that we stand for. Sure it's your right to protest, and I respect that 100%, but wait till you know what the hell you're talking about first (not too much to ask for right?). So what happens to these young mens lives? Guess what they're rapists not because they are but because someone said so...the near future for these young men is ruined. All 46 of them will be rapists in that community until...I dunno...another J.J. Reddick comes along. It's unfair and not what, we Americans, are supposed to be about, so to those of you who had them already guilty...SHAME ON YOU.

friends

the chairs all are empty the last guest has gone
the candles burn lower and lower
and sputter on and on
but after the last guest departed
haunting the smoke laden air
remaineth a lingering presence
the ghose of good fellowship rare
Friends, friends, friends
You and I will be
whether in fair or in dark stormy weather
we'll stand or we'll fall together.

That's about the best way I can describe it. Nothing like a good ole SAE song to define something for ya. Like I said it was nice to be back home and here is my blog on my buddies.

I didn't even seem like I was gone but a day or two. It is odd how nothing ever changes when you're with true friends. Seeing everybody was great. Love you guys. PA.

the 5 o 5.

So as some of you may know I went back home this weekend for my birthday. I have a ton of stuff to talk about, but I know this probably won't be read unless I break it up into small parts. So this post will be about the family, the next about the friends, and then the last will be about V for Vendetta...it was great, then I might throw down with a post just about the 5 o 5 in general.

It felt so good to be home again. It had been two months and boy was I home sick. I didn't think I would miss everything so much. Seeing my Mom at the airport was great, nothing like the first thing you do back home, being giving your mom a hug. Seeing my sister was also great, you don't realize how close you are to a sibling till you don't see them everyday. And seeing Dad was of course great as well, we got to go to a game in the best basketball arena and one of my favorite places in the world, the PIT (unfortunately the lobos didn't make it to that round).

Just sitting around and watching TV was very relaxing for me, I was surrounded by the people I love and it is a better feeling then you realize. So without getting too mushy, sit back and think of how important your family is to you cause when you're gone for a prolonged period of time, you come to realize they're importance.

So kids stay tuned for details on my adventure in the 5o5, cause there's more to come.

house keeping issues...

So I get to go home tomorrow and I'm so excited you have no idea, but there are some other things I got to get out there:

Does anybody know who Mr. Bean is? Well I found him, that's right, he bags my groceries at Tom Thumb in Irving. I will never change grocery stores cause it's too damn funny I want to go shopping everyday....damn he's funny.

The whole pay it forward thing...I had a response from an older wiser SAE on that, he said he leaves his change in the vending machines when he gets something...cause seriously how cool is it when you find change! So I did it today I had to make copies for a presentation I had today and I left $.50 in the copy machine at the library...the equivelent to 5 copies, it's not a big deal but just think how awesome that will be for a stressed out coed when they find it!

Now for the deep stuff (you know you can't go that long on here without me getting all deep on ya). Be HAPPY, don't be what others want you to be. Why are we all here anyway...[insert answer here] no matter what you put, nobody really knows. So in our short time here on Earth be happy, if that means getting an MBA, do it! If it means dropping out of school and writing songs, do it! If it means....whatever you get the point, do it and do it now cause that's all you have that you can reallly count on--the now.

pay it forward

Ya I know it was a movie, with a novel idea, but try it. Do something for someone, something they aren't expecting, something they aren't asking for, something nice. Do it not for them, nor for yourself, do it in hopes that it will make their day better and maybe encourage them to do something for someone else.


There is so much that people have to be miserable about, I'd mention the stuff but uh...it's not that kinda posting. Sometimes all they need is a little piece of humanity that tells or shows them how awesome life really is.


So if someone has done something nice for you recently, pay it forward. Or be the one that starts that chain of pleasantness, it'll make your day too.

"don't you think life would be awfully boring if the good times were all that we had?"-Pat Green.

uh it's wet

Ok...un...I'm from New Mexico and have never seen rain like this. I was just wondering, can I drown out here. Ya, ya I can. It seriously has been raining for like 30 straight hours, I don't think it rains any 30 hours in NM. Last night I got up at like 5am and looked out side to see what was so loud and I thought I was inside a tornado (never seen one before). I couldn't see across the parking lot and there was rain going sideways...frickin' sideways! The thunder was so loud that all the cars owned by my idiot neighboors, had their alarms going off every 15 seconds. I may be a sweetie pie, but good thing I'm not made of sugar...I'd be screwed.

NW st, UW-mil...I love it!

We are currently in the midst of the greatest 4 sports days of the year! Currently Kansas is down by 10 to Bradley, Texas (my national champion pick) is down at the half to Penn, UConn had to make a 35-9 run to squeeze out a victory against Albany. It just doesn't get any better than this.

College football needs to take note of the growing popularity of college basketball (the new American pastime) and do a tournament. Just think USC gets upset in the first round by some po dunk, ass backwards, team with more than one direction in their name, how awesome would that be? Now of course USC would probably win. But that's not what sport is all about. Sport is the ultimate reality show, these young men--I'm actually older than all of them now--must compete on the grandest of stages, at the highest level and leave their hearts and souls on the field.

March Madness, simply the greatest thing in the world for a sports fan, besides for the early games I missed on Thursday (I went to beautiful San Antonio and hung out on the river walk...quite possibly the most genious attraction a city has ever come up with) I have seen all of the games. Oh shit...school, I wonder if the University of Dallas gives "hey I was watching Northwestern state make their dreams come true at the buzzer" passes. Cause damn I need one!

So to recap...The first weekend of the mens college basketball tournament is by far the best 4 consecutive days of the year, EVERY YEAR!

the hardest thing I've ever done.

I got to thinking today about how difficult it is being on your own. So I began to ponder what was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, here are my thoughts, as I know them to be true, in chronological order: Well I would assume that the day I was born had to be pretty rough. I'm sure being born was definitely the hardest thing I had ever done. Well it was my first day of life so I guess any activity would have to be the hardest thing I've ever done. So what's next?...I guess we can clump together things like; learning to communicate (talk), learning to walk, learning to tie my shoes and all of that stuff when you're a little kid. Even though I don't remember any of those moments I'm sure at that point they were the hardest things I'd ever done. Now we're getting into the stuff I remember. My first crappy memory is when I found out my grandma died, I was like 6 or 7. I didn't understand all that stuff yet, and getting over that was definitely the hardest thing I'd ever done. Well I was never really peer pressured that much, and didn't have much trouble fitting in, so I guess I get to luckily skip those times that most people have. For the sake of time and humility I will just clump all the sports teams that said I was a step to slow or just a needed a little more skill. Taking those disappointments were the hardest things I'd ever done. [Just a side note: I started every game my senior year in soccer for a top ranked team...GET IT!] High School was a breeze...I didn't even read a book and graduated in the top 10% of my class. Seriously, what the hell are we doing in America that shouldn't be possible? Finishing my pledge ship at SAE, ya that was hard, boy was that hard. I don't think I can even count the number of times I was close to quitting. But I didn't. That semester was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Calculus...I HATE CALCULUS. NO, REALLY. I HATE CALCULUS!!!!! Heart break, yes ladies, guys go through it too. That night seemed like the longest day ever. I didn't think I could ever feel that way and didn't think I'd ever be better. That was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I'm going to group the next two together; graduating and my alumni ceremony. My alumni ceremony was one of those moments that you need to sit back and take everything in. It was a hard night for me, to leave my boys. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

So what's left?...You guessed it, moving to Irving. This has been a rough six weeks, I got nobody to play with, I got no job, and I got no dogs to wrestle with. I moved out here with only my determination, enthusiasm, and my perseverance. This is the hardest thing I've ever done.

In retrospect, I can tie my shoes, I'm pretty proficient at walking, I was a late bloomer athletically, I became a member of the greatest fraternity in the world, I PASSED CALCULUS, and I graduated. So I guess this too will pass...didn't someone famous say that? I'll beat this too like everything else, but F$%K this is the hardest thing I've ever done.

let me see what I can see

{transitioning from one guitar to the next, the lighting changes, the crowd sways from side to side in anticipation...following the slow guitar melody to start the song...}

Set me free
Set me free
I need a little more room to breath
And the freedom to do what I please
mama set me free
set me free
set me free
let me see what I can see
have mercy on a boy like me mama set me free

And at that point in the concert I was free. I moved out here to start my life and "see what I can see". I moved out here with the intention of doing things on my own with out the ease of Albuquerque and the help of anyone else. I enjoy the fact that if I fail or succeed it will be due to me and only me.
On Thursday night I skipped class, and the rathskeller, for a better opportunity. Reckless Kelly was playing at a bar in Denton (about 40 mins north of Irving) and I had to go see em' play. I figured finally the chance to see a Texas country band in Texas, I'm there. They played for quite some time maybe close to 2 hours and it was a great show. They played lots of songs I knew at an intimate venue of about 200 people.
You would think that moving only 10 hours away and staying, generally in the same region there wouldn't be much of a culture change...wrong. I was in culture shock for the first part of the evening. Honestly who told Texans that huge ass belt buckles your name carved in your belt was 'in style', I smell an episode of Queer eye for the Texan guy (although I'm pretty sure gay guys aren't allowed in Texas). It was acutally quite amusing to watch all of the 'cowboys' at this place. They would have definetly been made fun of back home, but here they were the norm. I didn't stick out, I don't think, but I definetly was not in "Texan" attire.
But the treat for me at the 'Rockin' Rodeo' (actual name of the place) was not the music nor the experience although, both were pretty great, but the girl. Yes ladies and gentleman Uncle Dick found himself a date last night. By the time 'set me free' came on I was already free, it was a poetic moment for me. I was here on my own with this amazing girl and ya I'm free. Free in the sense that life on my own has begun. Now it's only been one date so I'm not thinking all serious or anything but being there with her was a begining that I won't soon forget.
As I sit here and listening to music, kinda studying and watching the planes take-off outside my balcony...set me free!

...and not a moment too soon

So today I thought my Mom and my sister were going to come up and see me, I was wrong. It was even better everyone came...well them and my Dad, which makes everyone. It was great to see all three of them this weekend. I have been bored out of my mind lately and they were a good refersher for me. Now we didn't do much but we hung out together and that was great. It's funny cause I couldn't wait to leave Albuquerque a month ago. I wanted to get away and see if I could make it but I also was tired of living at home. No offense to my parents because they were great this last year, but it was different going from living at SAE for 3 and a half years to moving back home at 22yrs old. They never pushed me or hassled me but I needed my own space. Now that I have it I couldn't wait to see them and be around them. Don't get me wrong I'm glad I'm out on my own but I needed to see them and they came...not a moment too soon. I was able to recharge my batteries and now I only have a month till I go home for my birthday.
So for now, I'm out, I have a job fair to attend tomorrow and a huge test on Tuesday...woo hoo go Finance!

It's a little blurry cause I took it with my phone. But it's me and Bigelow at graduation 

Tyler, Preston, Jeremy, and me before I left for Texas 

The Rathskeller

So today I didn't have much to do, like always, so I decided to go to campus a few hours before my class to check stuff out. I found a nice place I could get on the internet and check out the girls that were passing by at the same time. As I began to do some of the reading for my upcoming class I was amazed by the amount of beer signs and lights that were in my view. So I decided to ask somebody about the area I was in. Apparently The University of Dallas has a BAR on CAMPUS! Ya, I was just as shocked as you. The guy said that if I were to come back after my class there would be a bunch of people there for TGIT (thank god it's thursday) ya it's pretty cleaver uh?
So considering that I didn't have anything worth while to do until 8am Saturday morning, I decided to stop by after class. Holy crap they have a bar on campus! And I know I've talked about the lack of little cute blonde girls in Texas, well that problem has been fixed, they are apparently everywhere. This place was crawling with them. Did I mention this campus has a bar?
I got my beer and watched a pretty good guitar player do covers like everyone else. The interesting part was that I was in the cool place to be on a Thursday night and I didn't know a soul there. I could have pretty much been the guy that stood infront of me the whole time. You know the guy...dorky kid, glasses, khaki pants that have wrinkled pockets, wearing the white on white tennis shoes (basically freshman greg, sorry buddy). At first I thought well this is pretty shitty, but then I figured hey nobody knows me...pretty cool. I watched this guy...did I mention this campus has a bar?...play his music, but mostly looked at all of the hot Texas girls that were parading around like it was New Years Day and they were covered in roses. I think I may have found a new spot to hang out, at least on Thursday nights. No I didn't meet anyone or really socialize, it's kinda hard when you don't know anyone...but I will.
So tonight I hung out at the Rathskeller, and it was pretty neato.

Grettings from Texas

Well I've been here 6 days now and all is well. I've had three job interviews up to this point and all of them have asked me back for a second interview. I have one 'second' interview left and the position seems to be what I want. So Monday morning I need to be ready to earn my spot at the company I want to be a part of.
These six days have given me the chance to realize and discover a few things here in Texas. One of the more obvious things and probably my first observation of my new living quarters, was that I live directly under a flight path. I live approx. a half mile from DFW airport and from my observations their landing strip is in line with my apartment. At first it was really annoying and bugged the hell out of me, then I went outside on my balcony to check it out and it was amazing. At around 7:00pm if you go out and look in the opposite direction you can see the light of as many as 12 planes in the air waiting to land. When they do make their approach it is awesome, they come with about 200 feet of the roof of my building...so close you can read the logos on the planes. I don't know why but I think it is really cool now. Another observation is that I haven't found nearly as many beautiful little blonde girls as I had imagined, but then again I haven't really been in any "younger" areas of the Dallas area yet...so stay tuned on that topic for now. The crapiest (is that how you spell it?) observation I have made so far is that the water here SUCKS. I went without water for the first 3 days here (I now have 5 gallons from the store in my fridge) and apparently that was a very poor decision. I went to the gym yesterday for my first time back to the gym in maybe 6 months and had a trainer session. Good thing I had a trainer with me becuase I started getting dizzy and seeing stars...apparently I was dehydrated. So I'm going back tomorrow and have been drinking water like a champ.
I'll leave you with one of the funny things I've heard on the radio (there have been quite a few funny things). A helicopter traffic guy was giving the traffic report and said "We've got a three car insurance seminar down there".

Peace out...Ya'll!

54 hours...

So here I am only 54 hours from leaving the only place I've ever known. Have you ever been at a time in your life where you feel you need to just stop and soak everything in? Well that's how I feel right now. I felt this way in my last high school soccer game, at both my graduations, when I was initiated into the greatest fraternity in the world, and now that feeling comes upon me again. A turning point, I guess would be the best way to describe the point that I have arrived at in my life. I get to "start over", nobody knows me, nobody cares, nobody is going to feel sorry for me in Texas if I fail. So why then am I going? I enjoy being who I am here, I love the life I have created for myself here in the 'Land of Enchantment'.
I leave behind so much it is hard to image that a better life is awaiting me in the land of cattle and oil. Tonight I went out for possibly the last time with 4 really good friends (Greg, Matt, Sam and Adam) but they are only a small fraction of the amazing friendships I've made here. There are so many more people who have helped create, stabilize and encourage the person I am.
If you were an SAE between 2000 and present you probably had a part in that. A lot of people don't realize how important SAE is to me and will always be. I feel forever indebted to the fraternity and the bonds within that I have made. I watched over my 5 and a 1/2 years as an undergrad and saw many people use the fraternity for the right and many for the wrong reasons. I hope in my heart that I used SAE for the right reasons. It is not for the people who want chicks and beer, you're in college if you can't get those two things without SAE you're pretty much a chump anyway. The people who used SAE for those reasons didn't end up doing to well; they transfered, dropped out, or disappeared. But then there are people who saw SAE for what it truley was, an amazing opportunity to make the most out of the little time in our lives we have between high school dipolma and career. Those days, although sometimes not the most graceful were the greatest days of my life and I thank many important brothers (you know who you are) for that.
For any of you who know me well enough, you understand how important my family is to my life as well. Without those 3 I don't know what or who I would be today. My dad is pretty much my best friend, my mom is...well a mom...the loving, caring, amazing person everyone wants their mother to be and then I have my sister, to whom I wish I could have taught and molded more. I made many mistakes in the last 5-6 years and I have been too busy to sit and guide her along a different path so she doesn't make my mistakes again. I feel as if I have let her down in a way. But fortunately, I feel there isn't much to worry about, she has a solid head on her shoulders and doesn't let the 'unmentionable' side of college life catch up with her.
So tonight I sit in my computer chair with an amazing past, a past I don't think anyone would like to undo, but what lies ahead? I don't know, you don't know, nobody does. But honestly how much better can this day get? I have the love and friendships of those behind me and the opportunity and freedom of my future. Wow! 54 hours...and a turning point.

"One who advances confidently in the directions of his dreams and endeavours to achieve the life in which he has imagined, will achieve success unexpected in common hours" - Henry David Thoreau

What's this?

So on this site you can check in on me from wherever you are in the world. That's an odd concept. Although you can find out what I'm doing anytime you want I think this might be more for me than any of you. I'm 15 days away from being in a place where I know nobody, and have no idea what to do. I will be attending the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. I will persuing my Master's degree in Sports and Entertainment Management and hopefully will be finding a job out there.
Some things you can expect from this site are updates on what I'm doing, where I'm working, what I think of Texas, any Texan slang I tend to pick up on the way and of course a little humor.
This is a new concept to me and I'm sure I'll get better at this as time goes by but for now this is all you get...stay tuned.