A Peek Behind The Curtain!

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

I can't tell you how many times I go back and forth on how to start these blog entries!

Using the word "indecisive" doesn't do it nearly enough justice, but we'll go with that.

As this blog post title suggests, I've decided to give you all a little "Peak Behind The Curtain".

Consider this my version of "All About The Author".

I don't know where to start, but I guess the beginning would make the most sense!

I was born on October 20th, 1985, in Springfield Massachusetts.

I'm the youngest of five children.

Three older sisters, one older brother.

I grew up in the town of Southwick, Massachusetts.

I've been afraid of heights ever since I was 5 years old and went on my first roller coaster when I was too small to ride it. 

I absolutely HATE that sinking feeling you get in your stomach from big drops on a roller coaster.

The fact that people actually PURSUE that feeling is absolutely insane.

I've never flown in an airplane, and never will if I can help it.

I took a train out to Denver Colorado to visit my best friend who lived out there, it took 36 hours, I had a layover to switch trains in Chicago, I had my own sleeper car, and if he didn't move back out here, I'd be doing it again for the 3rd year in a row, just to avoid flying out there.

I added two days to the beginning and end of my time off just to allow for the travel by train.

It cost significantly more to take the sleeper train out there than to just fly there.

And guess what? I have ZERO regrets.

I absolutely loved every single second of that train ride, both there and back.

I had my own space, with a door that closes and locks.

I had my own bed to sleep in.

The motion of the train is absolutely perfect for rocking you to sleep, unless you suffer from motion sickness, which fortunately I do not, so that's not an issue for me.

The views out my window were absolutely incredible, and I had a shade that I could open and close whenever I wanted.

My sleeper car had its own attendant, so I could either have my meals in my room, or in the dining car.

The breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on the train were absolutely delicious.

When I had my layovers in Chicago, I had complimentary access to the Metropolitan First Class Lounge at no extra cost because I was in a sleeper car.

I loved every part of the trip, and there were no airplanes involved, as it should be!

I've had the same core group of friends from my childhood for 34 years.

Growing up, I thought everyone had a core group of friends from childhood in whatever neighborhood they grew up in, just like me.

I thought everyone had some of their best friends living right down the street from them.

Riding our bikes.

Going swimming.

Playing video games.

Having sleepovers.

Making forts with bedsheets.

Now we go ice skating.

We go bowling.

We play disc golf.

We play floor hockey.

We definitely still play video games.

And board games.

We just had a game night, and it was a resounding success!

I realized much later in life that a lot of people don't have a core group of friends from childhood that they still talk to.

Even if we didn't see each other for years, the next time we see each other, it's like we never missed a beat!

I'm also not a "caller", I'm most definitely a texter.

And meme sender.

Now don't get me wrong, if you call me, I'm going to answer, and I'll even talk!

But if I'm starting the communication about something, 99% of the time it's going to be through text.

Or Facebook Messenger.

Or Instagram Direct Message.

Or TikTok Inbox.

You get the idea!

Now even though I might not be a "caller", I'm most definitely a "talker".

At least, I am to the people that know me well enough.

I know that there are plenty of people who are on the outside looking in that don't think I talk.

Like, at all.

In fact, I'd say that in my over 17 1/2 years working for the TSA at Bradley Airport, 95% of all of my coworkers, both past and present, have never heard me say a single word.

Spoiler alert.......that's by design.

I'm what you like to call.........reserved.

I can be present without talking.

Just listening.

Deciding if I want to join in on a conversation.

And most of the time, at least at work, I'm all set.

I'm not one for small talk with strangers.

In fact, it's one of my biggest pet peeves of all time.

Most of my coworkers are, for all intents and purposes, strangers.

Now sure, I'll learn their names.

And their work habits.

And how they conduct themselves overall.

And then, and ONLY then, will I respond accordingly.

95% of all of them have only seen "The Quiet Guy".

Walk up to any of those 95%, and tell them you've talked to me before.

Tell them we've had a full blown conversation.

They. Won't. Believe. You.

Tell them we talk all the time!

Watch. Their. Jaws. Drop.

They think I'm a mute.

I have a public facing job.

I see and deal with thousands of people every week.

That's not an exaggeration.

I have to talk to them.

Repeatedly.

It's part of the job.

Those same 95% probably think I just hold up signs instead of speaking.

I love it.

It's hilarious.

But it works to my advantage.

"But if you don't like small talking with strangers, how do you make friends?"

As I said before, I've had a core group of friends from childhood, so that's the base.

That's the foundation upon which everything else is built.

If they vouch for someone, that's all I need.

As far as others who have "crossed the threshold," it's really quite simple.

Commonality.

For coworkers, we're in the same foxhole taking grenades, and some of them have shown that they're just as battle-hardened as I am.

For classmates in school, it was always a common interest in something that sparked a deep conversation, and the rest of the story wrote itself.  

My circle might be small, but it still has openings.

You just have to find them.

Everyone has their parameters.

Everyone has what they will and will not engage with.

Discernment is key.

If you're sarcastic like me, you've got a good chance.

If you can make me laugh, you've got a good chance.

If we share the same disdain for something, I'm already getting ready to tell you about stuff.

If you can actually listen, instead of just waiting to speak, we're on the same wavelength.

If you're a fan of pro wrestling, you go straight to the front of the line!

But at this stage of my life, if I'm making any new friends, it's because they're friends of friends that I already have.

It's much easier that way, you get a natural introduction, and nothing is forced, that's how it should be in my opinion.

I also don't give out the whole "come and talk to me" vibe.

I also don't think I fit into the traditional "introvert" or "extrovert" classification.

I can display all the signs of an extrovert around people I know.

I can display all the signs of an introvert around people I don't know.

But I can also fill in every single shade of gray between those two extremes!

Extroverts usually start with an "empty battery" that they fill with social interactions.

Once they're at home, that battery starts to drain, so they NEED to go fill it again.

Introverts usually start with a "full battery" that gets drained with social interactions.

Once they're home, that battery starts to fill up again, so they CAN go back out.

I don't need either of those things.

I can be perfectly fine in a social situation for as long as I want, no battery that needs to be filled.

I can also be perfectly fine at home, watching something on TV or listening to music, but not because I need to recharge from being away from home.

If I want to go to the store, or go walk around the mall, or go bowling, I don't have to force myself to do it.

I just looked it up.

I'm an Ambivert!

"Ambiverts can adapt their social behavior to situations, enjoying solitude at times and social engagement at others, making them flexible and often excellent communicators, listeners, and team players who build trust easily. They can speak up when needed and listen attentively, balancing talking and listening in conversations. They connect well with both introverts and extroverts because they understand both perspectives."

That's......me!

It's nice to put a name on it!

With that being said, I think it's time to wrap this one up!

Thanks for reading, until next time folks!

Game Nights Are The Best Nights!

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

As the title suggests, I'm a pretty big fan of game nights!

Catchphrase.

Mad Gab.

Blank Slate.

Scattergories.

I could go on forever.

Game Night is the chance to meet up with friends, eat some food, and play some games!

It's also the chance to DESTROY YOUR COMPETITION!!

You see, I'm just a TAD bit competitive.

So when a Game Night happens, of course there's a time to play, laugh, and catch up!

And then, there's a time to LOCK IN.

The trick is to make that transition as seamless as possible.

That way you can keep up the conversation, maybe insert some witty lines here and there.

Meanwhile, you've locked in.

If the game involves a question being asked, you can't even hear what anyone else is saying.

All you can hear is the clock ticking afterwards, and your sole focus is on the answer.

Sometimes the answer just comes to you right away.

Other times, it's on the tip of your tongue.

The clock is still ticking.

All eyes are on you.

Your pulse increases.

That's my comfort zone.

I WANT that pressure.

I WANT to deliver in "crunch time" when it matters the most.

Take the game of Catchphrase for example.

It's one of my all time favorite games.

The goal is simple, you select a category on a little handheld electronic device, and then a word shows up on the device, related to the category you just chose, and a timer starts ticking.

Your goal is to get your teammates to guess the word, BUT, you can't say any part of the word, you can't say any words that rhyme with it, and you can't say the first letter of the word.

Everyone sits in a circle, and every other person in that circle is on the same team.

That way the person to your left and your right can make sure you're following those rules.

If you can get your team to correctly guess the word, you then pass the device to the person next to you who is on the other team while pressing the "next" button to give them a new word, and now they need to try to get their team to guess that new word.

Meanwhile, that timer has still been ticking this whole time.

Whatever team is holding the device when the time goes off loses the round, and the other team gets a point.

The first team to 7 points wins the game!

And you also never know when the timer is going to go off.

It could be 30 seconds, or 40, or 50, or 60.

The timer changes every time, that way someone can't wait until the last second to get their team to guess the word, and then pass it off right before the timer goes off.

It gets really hectic, really fast, and I love every single second.

That's because I'm one of the best clue givers that you will ever meet.

I can spoon feed anyone exactly what they need to hear in order to correctly say the word that I need them to say.

A lot of people get overwhelmed with the timer going off, especially if the word is someone or something that they don't know.

You're allowed to "skip" to a different word just once, but after that, no matter what the word is, that's the one you need to get your team to guess.

The problem is, a lot of people don't break things down to their simplest form.

All you need your team to do is to SAY the word or words that are on the screen.

Maybe it's "Jerry Rice", but you don't know who that is.

That's where most people freeze.

It's not someone that they know, so they don't know how to describe him.

But the thing is, you don't NEED to know who he is, you just need your team to say the words!

So just break it down!

I would say "Two Words"

"First Word"

"Popular cartoon with a Cat & Mouse, Tom and....."

Hopefully someone says "Jerry!"

Bingo.

"Second Word"

"A popular Chinese food dish, Pork Fried......"

"Rice!!"

BINGO, NOW SAY THOSE TWO WORDS TOGETHER!

"Jerry Rice!!"

Boom. Now pass the device to the other team.

You got your team to guess correctly, even though you didn't even know who Jerry Rice was.

And as I just demonstrated, you didn't need to.

However, in the moment, a lot of people freak out, say "I don't know who this is", and just let the timer run out.

Break. It. Down!

Now if it's a word that you've never even seen before, and you don't even know how to pronounce it, let alone what it is, that's a different story.

If you're not a tea drinker, and you see the word "Chamomile", and you've already used your skip, so you're stuck with that word, then that's just unfortunate.

HOWEVER, someone on your team might still be able to figure it out if you just keep talking it out even though you don't know what it is.

I've seen MANY words get guessed correctly even though the person giving the clues had no idea how to try and describe it, but they just kept thinking out loud, and something clicked enough for one of their teammates to figure it out before time ran out!

I still remember correctly guessing "Pat Sajak" and "Bats In The Belfry" at the absolute last second because the person trying to give clues just kept talking it out.

Needless to say, I love Catchphrase!

But there's SO MANY GAMES.

That's just ONE.

Mad Gab is another favorite of mine.

It's a phonetic game.

You'll see words on a card that make NO sense at first.

But when you read them out loud, even though it might sound like absolute gibberish, you're actually saying a word or phrase, and then either you figure it out, or someone on your team does, and you say the word or phrase and get a point!

The goal is to try and get as many points as you can before time runs out!

The slogan of the game is "It's not what you SAY, it's what you HEAR"

That's why I tell people that even if it sounds like absolute nonsense, just keep saying it out loud, so your teammates can hear it.

A lot of people just murmur the "gibberish" to themselves, when most of the time, a teammate will hear the what sounds like "gibberish" to you, but they actually hear the word or phrase, and then they guess it correctly!

Game Nights are always a good time, and the fact that I've got a Game Night coming up is what inspired this blog!

With that being said, I think I'm going to end this blog right here!

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read all about why I love Game Nights!

Until next time!

It's All About Thanksgiving!

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

Today is Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.

By the time anyone reads this, it will be Thursday, November 27th, 2025.

Also known as THANKSGIVING!!!

To me, it's one of the best days of the year.

Food. Everywhere.

Turkey. Stuffing. Gravy. Rolls. Pie. Mashed Potatoes. Cranberry Sauce.

All of the staples, all waiting to be devoured!

Now as much as I'm looking forward to all of that, the namesake of the day is Thanksgiving.

It's a chance to take a step back and think about what you are thankful for.

For me, I can sum it up in one word.

Everything.

I'm thankful for everything.

Being able to have a roof over my head as I type this.

Being able to have access to clean, drinkable water.

Being able to have clean clothes.

Being able to have a reliable car for transportation.

Being able to have a steady source of income from my job.

I take none of those things for granted.

I'm thankful for the happy childhood I was able to have, and it deeply saddens me that unfortunately not everyone is able to have a happy childhood, because everyone deserves one.

I'm thankful for my family.

I'm not just talking about blood relatives.

You may have seen the saying "Blood is thicker than water", but that's not the full quote.

That snippet would make it seem that blood ties should automatically supercede all other ties, no matter what.

But that's not the full quote.

The full quote is actually "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."

"The phrase implies that chosen relationships, like those made through war or friendship, can be more powerful than family relationships. It emphasizes the strength of bonds created by shared purpose and commitment over those based purely on genetics."

This is why the saying "Friends are the family you choose" is so important.

To put it simply, you don't choose your blood relatives, that's a matter of what you are born into.

With friendships, that's a conscious choice, whether it's a blood relative or not, friendship is never "automatic", it's chosen.

It's worked on.

It's something that I never take for granted.

Every friend that you have is in your life for a reason, because you've chosen them to be there.

With me, it's really simple.

You need someone to listen? I'm all ears.

You need someone to keep a secret? My lips are sealed.

You need advice on something? I'll offer everything I have.

You need an honest opinion on something? I won't hold back.

You need a ride somewhere? I'll make sure to gas up my car first.

You need someone to make you laugh? Challenge Accepted. I always win that one :)

You need to go for a walk to clear your head? Let's get our steps in.

You need someone else around just to do nothing together? Let's zone out in sync.

You have a question about Pro Wrestling? I most likely have the answer!

You need a trivia partner? I know a little bit of everything!

That's me. That's who I try my best to be.

Time is the most valubale resource that we have.

So for anyone to choose to spend their time with me, I'm going to make sure to the best of my ability that it was time well spent!

So many memories have been made.

Playing Wiffleball behind the Town Hall after work until 2 a.m., then going to get calzones at D.P. Dough.

Playing Wii Bowling in the basement, where it quickly became a competition within a competiton, all over a comfy place to sit.

Starting off Thanksgiving with some football in the front yard, then taking a break for some star bread and cinnamon rolls, then going back out to finish the second half, regardless of the weather conditions.

Playing Rock Band & Lips for hours on end, just rotating instruments.

Playing 3 on 3 basketball in the driveway.

Having game nights playing Catchphrase and Mad Gab.

Going bowling and throwing a gutterball, and trying to explain how it wasn't on purpose!

Eating all of the food and walking all of the steps at The Big E.

Playing Halo 3 until 4 a.m., then doing it again the next day, and the next day, on repeat.

Riding our bikes.

Christmas Eve at my grandmothers house.

Family birthday celebrations every three months at one of my aunts houses.

Playing video games.

Going swimming.

My incredible lollipop side hustle in High School.

Playing Capture The Flag.

Going Ice Skating every week.

Dominating in Four Square.

Playing Floor Hockey.

Playing Disc Golf.

Being the two time back to back 1994-1995 Woodland Elementary School Four Square Champion.

Just sitting around and talking.

Trips to The Summer House.

Poker Nights with Italian Friendly Pizza, "Hey Guys, Thanks For Coming!"

Taking a picture with me for my Ultimate Photo Album.

All of the engagement on my Facebook Tournaments.

PGI Friday's.

Every inside joke.

Every walk.

Every talk.

Every breakfast.

Every lunch.

Every dinner.

Every outing.

Every laugh.

I could keep going on forever.

But when I look back on each and every one of those moments, I'm just so thankful that they happened, and that I was able to be a part of them.

I'm thankful for all of it, and I always will be.

Andy Bernard from The Office said "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them"

I've now figured out that there is a way.

You just have to treat everything in the moment as something that very well may never hapoen again.

Simple right?!

I have been able to take a step back in situations and tell myself "This is awesome, I hope this happens again, but it if never does, at least it happened this one time"

Once you treat situations like that, you're able to appreciate them in the moment so much more.

This little journey called life was never meant to be spent alone

So to everyone who I have been fortunate enough to call a friend, to anyone that has chosen to take time out of their life and spend it with me, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Until next time!

527 Days After The Last One?!

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

Procrastination is my best friend.

If I could invest in procrastinating, I would be a millionaire!

Of course, it would take forever for me to actually invest in it!

Today is Monday, November 17th, 2025.

My last blog post was on Saturday, June 8th, 2024.

That's 527 days between posts.

The post before that was on Sunday, December 11th, 2022.

That was 545 days.

The post before that?

Saturday, April 25th, 2020.

That's 961 days.

That's one blog in 2020, none in 2021, one in 2022, none in 2023, one last year, and just this one this year.

Will 2026 be the year that I consistently start blogging again?!

Let's go with a good old-fashioned "Maybe"!

But in all seriousness, I miss this, and I need to do it more often.

It's cathartic.

I don't get to use that word very often.

But here, I can just type whatever comes to mind.

And unlike in my school days, I don't have to worry about "proper sentence structure."

Like right there, I'm not supposed to start a sentence with the word "and".

AND yet, I've just done it twice.

I write how I think and talk.

I've started plenty of spoken sentences in my life with the word "and".

AND I'm not going to stop doing that just because I happen to be typing those same thoughts!

Don't get me started on colons and semicolons either.

I've looked both of them up multiple times.

I've watched examples of when and where you're supposed to use them in sentences.

And I STILL have no idea when and where to use them, so I just don't.

I've been on this planet for 40 years now, without ever using a colon or semicolon in a sentence.

Somehow, people have been able to understand me just fine!

Listen, I'm sure colons and semicolons have their place in the English lexicon, just not mine!

Moving on, I'd say quite a bit has transpired since my last blog post.

For one thing, as of this writing, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history finally ended.

This one was over 40 days.

Working without pay isn't fun.

Fortunately, myself and all of the other federal workers who have been working without pay will be getting full back pay.

However, even though the government shuts down, life does not.

Bills.

Food.

Utilities.

Child Care.

Gas.

Plenty of federal workers were taking on second jobs to make ends meet.

There were Air Traffic Controllers working for Doordash AFTER their 12 hour unpaid shifts to keep food on the table for their families.

I know a bunch of my coworkers at TSA who have been working for Amazon Flex.

Every September 30th, federal workers wait to see if both sides of the aisle can play nice and keep our government funded, so that we can keep getting paid in real time.

Luckily, it's finally over.......for now.

Come January 30th, we might have to deal with another round of this if both sides can't come to an agreement for the rest of the fiscal year, we shall see.

On a more positive note, Thanksgiving is now less than two weeks away!

It's one of my favorite days of the year.

Star Bread.

Turkey.

Mashed Potatoes.

Stuffing.

Gravy.

Rolls.

Corn.

Cranberry Sauce.

Pie.

And to be clear, I only want the cranberry sauce that comes from the can, with the ridges in it from the can, and not with any of the cranberries in it.

Turkey also gets overlooked, even though it's the anchor.

I think a lot of you out there are just having dry Turkey, and that's why you don't give turkey the respect it deserves.

If you cook it right, and season it right, it's moist, and delicious.

Plus, Gravy goes on the Turkey and Mashed Potatoes.

That's non negotiable.

Keep the Gravy coming.

And then when it comes to the pies, I want the fruit pies.

The pies with a top crust.

Blueberry.

Cherry.

Peach.

And of course, the best fruit pie in all of existence, Dutch Apple.

Pumpkin Pie?

Sweet Potato Pie?

Squash Pie?

If I have even ONE slice of any of those three "pies", it's just because I'm being polite.

There's not enough whipped cream on the planet to cover up that actual taste of them.

My stomach only has so much real estate, and I'd rather invest in the GOOD pies, please and thank you!

You also won't catch me just shoving everything onto one plate.

There's levels to this.

Different foods have different textures and flavors.

Some compliment each other.

Others contrast each other.

I don't need or want everything in one bite.

So when someone is like "can I make you a plate?", I usually pass.

Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture!

BUT, there's a system in place, MY system!

What goes where, how much of it, what's going to be on the first plate versus the second round, it's a whole thing.

I've seen Turkey, and Cranberry Sauce, AND Gravy, all in the same single bite for some heathens out there who will remain nameless.

SHAMEFUL!!

You might be asking "Is there really a wrong way to eat something?!"

Yes. 

Yes there is.

That's like eating Kit Kat whole, instead of breaking it apart.

Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD!

Yep, this is the catharsis I've missed.

I also had a podcast years ago, I've been meaning to dust that off too, maybe I'll finally do that.

Maybe :)

I'd say this was pretty good for a "first blog post in a while", especially since I was winging it.

But then again, I always wing it!

To anyone who read this all the way, thanks for taking the time to read all of this!

I promise to make more blogs much closer together than every 500+ days!

Until next time!

545 Days Later..

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

Hello there.

It's been a while!

545 Days to be exact.

I did say it wouldn't be two and a half years between posts, so there's that!

I'd say at this point that I'm in a long term relationship with Procrastination.

But of course, it's complicated.

My last two posts were in April of 2020, and December of 2022.

One right at the beginning of Covid, and one right in the middle of it all.

Now we're on the other side.

Now, we're back to "normal", whatever that means these days.

I must admit, the one thing I miss, was the work/life balance.

At the height of everything, I was fortunate enough to stay home from work, but still get paid.

No one was flying.

Technically, next to no one.

My airport went from having anywhere from 10-12,000 people a day.....to less than 200.

That means most of us weren't needed.

Two days on, five days off.

And even on the two days that I was working, I'd always get off early.

It was nice.

I mean sure, everything was either shut down or very limited, so there wasn't anywhere to go do anything.

Good thing I love being a homebody just as much as I like going places and doing things.

I did miss bowling though.

I've really gotten into bowling over the last 5 years.

I always loved bowling, but I never learned how to hook the ball.

I'd just throw it straight at the pins, and hope for the best.

Then one of my good friends started really getting into it.

So naturally, I started really getting into it to.

My friend bowls two handed.

Depending on who you talk to, a lot of "bowling purists" snub their noses at it.

They think it's cheating.

News flash, it's not.

Jason Belmonte, one of the best bowlers to ever do it, is a two handed bowler.

He's not breaking any rules.

Some people just love to hate, it's as simple as that.

So when I started learning how to hook the ball, I was trying to emulate my friend, who was bowling two handed.

He was bowling two handed, because Jason Belmonte became his favorite bowler, and as we know, Mr. Belmonte bowls two handed.

So when you bowl two handed, you don't use your thumb, because you have your other hand to keep the ball stable.

As I was trying to learn to bowl two handed, I would find myself letting go of the ball with my "other hand" much sooner than a traditional two handed bowler would.

Eventually, I became the most comfortable with a one handed release....but without using my thumb.

And that's how I throw the ball to this day, one handed, no thumb!

Also, my friend has his own ball.

He said there was a "night and day" difference between having your own ball instead of just using the "house ball", especially when you're hooking the ball.

It wasn't too long afterwards that I went to my local bowling alley, walked into the pro shop, and with the help of the pro shop owner, I bought my first ball, had it drilled, and proceeded to break a 200 score for the very first time.

To say it makes a world of difference would be an understatement!

Pardon the cheesy pun, but I've been "hooked" ever since.

No more puns, I promise.

My local alley just brought back it's "Summer Pass" after they didn't have it last year.

Each Summer Pass offers two games of bowling per day, including shoe rental.

Of course, at this point I have 5 bowling balls, two bowling bags, and of course, my own bowling shoes.

Even if you're a casual bowler, and you only bowl "every now and then", I'd still recommend that you get your own pair of bowling shoes.

Once you get your own pair, you'll never go back.

No more weird velcro that doesn't stay on.

No more flat feet.

No more having your foot slipping around in a shoe that's been worn my thousands of people.

Plus, they're cheap!

I mean yes, they have expensive pairs as well, but mine were like $30, and they have more than paid for themselves in not having to pay shoe rental fees anymore!

Not to mention, my bowling shoes are straight up athletic sneakers!

Bowling shoes come in ALL STYLES!

It's worth the one time investment, just to never have to pay rental fees again, trust me!

Anyway, I bought two Summer Passes.

That's four games of bowling every time I go, and the Summer Pass goes all the way through Labor Day.

It just started two weeks ago, and I've already used it seven times. 

That's 28 games of bowling.

My Summer Passes have already paid for themselves, so now it's free bowling for the next three months!

Needless to say, I love bowling!

I could keep going on about bowling forever, but I think this is a good point to stop, for now!

I've also started my "Ultimate Photo Album" back up, after a 13 year hiatus.

My goal was to take individual pictures with as many people that i know as possible.

Yes, it's a tall task.

Yes, it may never truly be "complete".

But I'm good with that.

There's always room for more pictures!

For the longest time, my "Album" was just a digital collection.

But now I actually bought a phyiscal photo album, printed out all of the photos, thank you CVS, and now I have an ACTUAL, physical photo album!

I must admit, every time I open the album, and start looking at the pictures, and see some of the photos I've taken over the years, and the people who have taken the time out of their lives to take a photo with ME, I have to pinch myself.

If you told 21 year old me that this "Photo Album Idea" would blossom into what I have right now, (and I'm still lining up more pictures as I write this) I wouldn't have believe you!

All these years later, and here we are.

I have now started asking the people that I've taken pictures with to sign our picture!

Still can't believe it sometimes.

None of these pictures came to ME, I had to put boots on the ground, I had to make the overture, I had to get out there and DO IT.

And being the master procrastinator that I am, it's just.....wow.

Just. Wow.

There's so many people that I asked for a picture, just on a whim, just so I could at least say "At least I tried, at least I asked".

And I wasn't expecting ANY of them to say yes, or heck, to even respond to me asking them for the picture in the first place!

But I had to at least TRY.

That's what I told myself, I have to at least try.

They. All. Said. YES.

All. Of. Them.

And now I have a physical picture with them in my Ultimate Photo Album.

Just doesn't seem real sometimes.

So glad I asked!

So glad I TRIED!

Anyway, that's enough for now!

I still need to ease my way back into this whole "blog" thing, but I'd say this was a good start!

And with this huge novel I just wrote, I'd say I'm doing just fine!

Until next time folks!

Two Years & Eight Months Later....

 

Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.

My last blog post was on April 25th, 2020.

I'd say quite a bit has happened since then.

The world has since gone into a panic, then started to come out of it, and now we're somewhere in the middle.

Actually, it has always been like that.

Once again, my procrastination has led to me being gone for over two and a half years.

I'd like to say that I'll finally keep in under control this time.

But that would be a lie.

All I can do, is the best that I can.

With that being said, it feels good to blog again!

It's December 11th, 2022.

The first snowfall of the year is happening as we speak.

Looks like I picked a good week to go on vacation.

Now of course I picked this week back in November of 2021, so there was no foresight involved.

I just like to get paid to not be at work every now and again.

Now as much as I'd like to say that winter is now officially upon us, I live in New England.

If you live in New England, you know what that means.

If you don't like in New England, I'll tell you what that means.

It means that you can experience all four seasons in a single day, and it could happen any day of the year.

Now the calendar says it's officially winter on December 21st, but New England plays by its own set of rules.

With that being said, I like winter.

I like the snow.

I like the cold.

I like the fact that all of the annoying bugs go away.

No more humidity.

Less people on the disc golf course.

These are all good things.

Speaking of disc golf, it has now become one of my new hobbies.

Most of the time, I love it.

Some of the time, I hate it.

Coincidentally, I seem to hate it whenever I hit a tree.

Or a rock.

Or some other hazard on the course.

Or when I want the disc to go one way, and it goes the other way instead.

That's when I hate it.

Otherwise, I love it!

But in all seriousness, I really do enjoy it.

I've been playing for just over a year now.

I still have a long way to go, but I have also made MASSIVE improvements to my game over the last year.

To me, one of the best things about disc golf is how easy it is to get started.

You just needs some discs, and course.

There's plenty of courses all over the place, and most of them are free to play.

Now on the outside looking in, it doesn't look THAT difficult.

You're probably thinking to yourself "It's just throwing a frisbee at a basket, how hard could it be?"

Trust me, I thought the same thing when I first started.

And then I played for the first time.

And I was humbled, quickly.

There's so many little nuances that go into disc golf.

First you need to learn how to throw the disc properly.

No, you don't throw it like you would throw a regular frisbee.

If you throw it like that, it's going to immediately go up, to the left, and then crash down.

If you're a lefty, it's going to do what I just described, except it's going to the right.

That's where your form comes in.

Once you get your form down, then you need to choose the right disc.

There are THOUSANDS of discs.

Every disc has it's own set of stats.

Overstable.

Stable.

Understable.

Weight.

Rim.

Type of plastic.

Let's compare it to regular golf.

In regular golf, you have a bag of golf clubs, and a golf ball.

Depending on what type of shot you need, you select the appropriate club for the situation, and then you swing your club accordingly.

Maybe you need a Driver, or a Pitching Wedge, or a Putter.

With disc golf, the discs themselves are like the golf clubs.

There's Distance Drivers, Fairway Drivers, Mid Range, and Putters.

All of these discs are for different scenarios, just like the different golf clubs are.

But then you also have to take into account how you're going to throw the disc.

Backhand.

Forehand.

Tomahawk.

Thumber.

Grenade.

Hyzer.

Anhyzer.

Flat.

S-Curve.

Flex.

Hyzer Flip.

Those are all different throws, for different situations.

And as I said before, with the THOUSANDS of discs out there, with different weights, and styles, and types of plastic that they are made out of, you could to the SAME THROW with two different discs, and get two COMPLETELY different outcomes.

Discs that are brand new out of the box will fly differently than they will after months of usage.

So many factors to consider, and it's that "mental math" where your trying to make subtle changes on the fly that I love about the game.

The discs hitting the chains for a birdie will never not be a satisfying sound!

So needless to say, I love disc golf!

I also love bowling.

I've been bowling for about 3 and a half years now, and it seems as if I've hit a wall of sorts.

I feel like unless I start taking some lessons, that I've gone as far as I can do just "doing it onw my own"

The bowling alley that I frequent the most has a "Summer Pass" every June that's good until Labor Day.

For a one time fee of $60, you can bowl three free games every single day.

For me, that's an absolute STEAL.

I was bowling 4-5 days a week.

Right now I'm sitting at a 157 average, and that's with 220 games played.

I'm also a bit of an "unconventional bowler", because I don't use my thumb.

When I first got into it, my friend was a two handed bowler, so when I was first learning how to hook the ball, I was throwing like he was.

Two handed bowlers don't use the thumb hole either.

Eventually, my two handed setup evolved into a one handed throw, and it has been that way ever since!

But once I learned to to hook the ball, I was all in.

Now I have my own shoes, three balls, a bag, the cleaning towels, all of it.

I love it.

I'll be bowling and playing disc golf for as long as I possibly can!

As much as I'd like to keep going, I need to ease myself back into these blog posts, but I promise it won't be two and a half years between posts!

Most likely. 

Until next time!