Shirley Terrace!! Sefton Drive!! My Childhood!!

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 was born on this very date, October 20th, all the way back in 1985.

I grew up in the little town of Southwick, Massachusetts, on Shirley Terrace.

However, most of my childhood would be spent two streets over.

At the other end of my neighborhood.

Sefton Drive.

If I wasn't at my house, I was roaming around on Sefton Drive somewhere.

Maybe I was at Nik & Chris Savva's house.

Maybe I was at Josh Gagnon's grandparents house.

Maybe I was at Jeff & Craig Whittaker's house.

Maybe we were in the woods behind Viola's house.

Maybe we were catching frog down by "The Brook".

Maybe we were running through the mini cornfield behind Chanze Facey's grandparents house.

It was a mixed bag of Awesome.

If would give anything to be able to relive my childhood.

It was fantastic.

I read a quote a while back that said "At some point, you and all of your friends all went outside to play for the last time, and no one knew it."

I had probably woken up a good 10-15 before I came across that quote.

I wasn't ready for something so deep and meaningful before I even had my morning oatmeal!

That quote stuck with me, and it lead me to make this very post, because it hit the nail on the head.

All good things must come to an end.

My childhood was one of those "good things".

But what a ride it was!

It all started with what I like to call "Nik's persistence".

One day he showed up in my front yard, on his bike, asking me if I wanted to come to his house and play.

I would always say "Maybe tomorrow", as if I had so much going on for me at 5 years old.

He showed up each and every day, and asked the same thing.

He would not be denied.

One day I finally said "Let's do it!"

And the rest, as they say, is history!

We did everything as kids.

We rode our bikes around the neighborhood.

We made our own jumps.

We probably had a 60% success rate on actually LANDING properly after hitting said jumps, with plenty of grass stains and skinned knees which quickly became badges of honor.

We played baseball, using a bush, a tree stump, a hole in the ground, and a stick as the four bases.

We played soccer, using two sets of trees as the goal posts for each side.

We played capture the flag, sometimes using two houses across the street from each other as the playing area.

We played football, no helmets, no pads, and sure, it may have been "Two Hand Touch" ON PAPER, but we all know what Two Hand Touch football becomes after roughly 30 seconds or so.

That's the first time I got the wind knocked out of me, but I still scored on the play, so yeah, worth it!

We played basketball in the driveway, which led to many cars almost getting hit, but that was just "part of the game".

We played Freeze Tag.

We played Ball Tag.

We played SPUD, a game with far too many complex (and most likely made up) rules for me to fully describe here, but it involved A LOT of running, and dodging a ball being thrown at you, but you couldn't move your feet......good times!

We played Flashlight Tag indoors if it was raining outside.

We played Frisbee.

We played Street Hockey, and let me tell you, a slapshot to the shin from Jeff Whittaker will make you rethink LIFE ITSELF. TRUST ME.

We would roller skate around the neighborhood, or roller blade, for me personally, I prefer roller skates, I like have more stability you know?

We played Four Square in the street, with "squares" being at least 2-3 times bigger than the normal size, and that was by design. Once we went to school and played on the regulation "squares", it was TOO EASY!!

I used to literally sacrifice my body for Four Square.

I scraped my knees on the asphalt from diving for a loose ball, if my skin had a mind of its own, it would have just stopped growing back on my knees.

Whatever it took. That was my motto. That's why I'm the two time, back to back, 1994, 1995, Woodland Elementary School FOUR SQUARE CHAMPION.

Sorry, I got caught up in the moment again.

Four Square was the first thing that brought out my true "Competitive Spirit", and I've had it to this day.

There was no better rush than sending someone to the back of the line, where the only thing they could think of was "Am I going to get back into this game before the bell rings to get my revenge on Jerome?!?!".

Look kid, I did you favor, the swings are over there.

We'd go trick or treating on Halloween.

I had this TERRIBLE pumpkin "mask" that was attached to a handle with a button, and when you pressed said button, some little green lights on the mask would light up and make a few noises.

Also know as "amateur hour".

It was enough to get the candy, and that what it was all about to begin with!

Overall my neighborhood was pretty good for Halloween candy.

Everyone knows that kids will always judge you based on what you have for Halloween candy.

If you gave you Smarties, Sweet Tarts, Necco Wafers, those little candy dots on the receipt paper, or even worse, CANDY CORN, you'd probably wake up the next day with quite a few rolls of toilet paper to clean all over your house and yard.

And you'd get absolutely no sympathy from us, you brought this on yourself!

But that was maybe one or two houses out of the 40-50 houses, so that's still a great percentage of respectable candy houses.

Mrs. Whittaker always did Caramel and Candy Apples for Halloween.

It was the only time you'd catch me eating fruit all year!

Other houses had the staple candy and candy bars, you know, the ones that any self respecting Halloween Candy Giving individual would give out, I'm talking about your Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, 100 Grand, Kit Kat, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Milk Duds, Whoppers, Twizzlers, Twix, Chunky, Good & Fruity (not to be confused with Good & Plenty, your house would get about 3 or 4 dozen "egg visitors" if you tried that).

In other words, THE GOOD CANDY. I DON'T WANT A PACK OF RAISINS AND A TOOTHBRUSH.

No disrespect to raisins, I love raisins, but I love them in other things, not by themselves, and definitely NOT on Halloween, unless we're talking about Raisinets!!

We swam in the Summer.

Disclaimer, I love Swimming.

Like, I'm obsessed with it.

They used to have to drag me out of the pool to do anything else.

If the pool was open, that's all I wanted to do.

Even VIDEO GAMES took a backseat to the pool.

If you know me, you know just how much I must have loved Swimming to give up Video Games for it.

That's where I learned to swim.

That's where I learned how to go under water without holding your nose, and still no get any water up your nose.

That's where I learned how to do a Front Flip.

That's where I learned how to to a Cannon Ball.

I learned the Watermelon too, but even when done properly, you'll get a MASSIVE headache, so I always advise against it!

Then I learned how to do a Jack Knife, and its twin, the Can Opener.

But the splash still wasn't big enough.

Then........I learned it.

The ultimate splash technique.

The one that I still use to this very day.

The splash that NO ONE HAS EVER BEATEN.

It's simply called "The Babysitter".

It's so beautiful.

So elegant.

So devastating.

Speaking of "Babysitters", occasionally Nik & Chris would have a Babysitter, and, well, Babysitters pretty much get treated like substitute teachers. I mean sure, they're the "authority figure" for the time being, but uhhh, that just meant you were going to be convinced that whatever we wanted to do/were going to do no matter what would have been okay with our ACTUAL teacher, so there's no need to question/try to stop it. I mean, they all "tried" I guess, and that was adorable! Sorry for the spoilers there!!

Anyway, as I was saying!

We also used to jump off the top of the water slide.

It was a potential recipe for disaster, but of course, that's why we did it!

We played Marco Polo. We always cheated too. No one wanted to be Marco.

Marco never got to have any fun!

Myself, Chris, and Josh, also played a super awesome game known simply as...."Drop-Pedo".

Think underwater Soccer/Hockey in the shallow end of an inground pool

It was probably the best game ever.

We played hide and seek, both indoors and outdoors.

We literally played IT ALL.

And I loved every second.

Whenever Winter came around, that always meant three things, Snow Forts, Snowball Fights, and Sledding!

Our High School had a decent hill that everyone in town would use.

It was.......adequate.

But Us?

Well, we had something much, MUCH bigger.

We would go up past the woods behind the house, and we would make a path all the way down to "The Brook".

Our path was easily at least 3 times longer in length than the High School hill.

It was also steeper, and you had to avoid trees that were on either side of the path.

It also had a body of water at the bottom, so the added risk of potential hypothermia was the added adrenaline rush that we all craved!

One year me and Chris made a snowman so large, I still can't believe how we actually pulled it off, and we didn't use any "tools" whatsoever, including any help from "the adults".

It's a feat that I still look back on to this day with the utmost pride!

Winter also provided the opportunity to play more video games than the Summer.

To this day, whenever I hear the song from the first stage of "Metroid" for NES, I'm instantly transported to Chris's house, on a cold winter snow day, eating grilled cheese and "star noodle soup".

I could go for that RIGHT NOW!

That's the mark of a great childhood!

I still remember riding my bike to Chris's house, locking my bike to the telephone pole, and waiting for the bus.

I remember having a sleepover pretty much every single weekend.

We drank green Kool Aid, and ate Donut Sticks, and Pecan Spinwheels.

Sometimes I'd sleep over his house, sometimes he'd sleep over mine.

We'd play video games, watch Surf Ninjas, and eat a bunch of junk food, and build forts, all while never actually, well, sleeping.

Also, there were a few times where we'd be able to stay up even later than usual.

And that was all thanks to one name......Adrian.

Don't ask me his last name, because I couldn't tell you.

Even if you told me what it was, I'd be lying if I said "Oh yeah, THAT'S what it was!"

Now why was this name so important? 

Good question, let me explain.

Whenever Adrian would sleep over Chris's house, (along with a brother and sister that both have names of course, just not names that I can actually remember at the moment, my front runners are "Randy" and "Adriana", but don't quote me on that) it was always "A Family Affair" of sorts.

Adrian's parents and Chris's parents (and probably other sets of parents) would be talking for hours in their kitchen, playing games, catching up, drinking coffee, perhaps some tea, well into the morning hours, and that meant we got to stay up and run around and do all of the other things kids love to do, like jumping on the mattresses and having pillow fights, you know, things of that nature.

Those sleepovers were the even more better sleepovers.

We would rent the hottest games that Blockbuster Video (RIP) would have at the time.

Street Fighter 2.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

What's the difference?

Ummm, how about being able to PLAY as Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison for the first time.

Game. Changer.

Super Mariokart.

Rocky Rodent.

F-Zero.

Final Fight.

Super Dodge Ball, which is still one of my favorite video games of all time.

Stone Protectors, Super Spike V'Ball, Nintendo World Cup Soccer, and Castlevania IV, all courtesy of Josh Gagnon.

Then N64 came out.

Which meant Goldeneye was now a thing.

Along with Mariokart 64, which I still think is the hardest Mariokart ever made to this day.

Waverace.

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey.

Diddy Kong Racing.

You name it, we played it.

That's where I honed my craft.

That's where I perfected it.

That's where I MASTERED IT.

It's also where Chris and I would play Forgotten Worlds for Sega Genesis, and we wouldn't let Leah play.

Also, there was no "saving your game" back in the day.

I mean a few games had a password system so you could pick up from where you left off.

Other than that, you either had to beat the game in one shot, or you had to pause it, and make sure that NOTHING OR NO ONE TOUCHED THE CONSOLE.

Otherwise the console would freeze, and you'd have to start all over.

That was my first true taste of heartbreak.

We always had a nice core group to do pretty much any activity as kids.

Add in the random "friends of friends" that would come and go, and we always had plenty of people to do whatever we decided that we were going to do that day!

This barely scratches the surface of the awesomeness that was "My Childhood".

I'll make another post at some point that picks up from here, but I'd say this is a good start!

Why I Love Pro Wrestling!!

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'm going to tell you the worst kept secret in human history.

I love Pro Wrestling.

I've loved it since the first day I saw it.

The over the top action.

The larger than life characters.

The compelling storylines.

And most importantly for me, the killer promos.

That's what I love about Pro Wrestling.

"But it's fake"

It's a scripted show, the winners and losers of every match are determined long before the two wrestlers go out there. 

That's by design. 

But fake?

Far from it.

Come take one bump.

Take one chop.

Hit the ropes once.

You'll never say it's fake again.

Other scripted shows have stunt doubles for their main stars.

They have multiple takes to get it "just right".

They have post production.

They have "seasons".

Professional Wrestling has none of those things.

It's live, and you get one shot to get it right.

It's two people going out there, and literally trusting the other person with their life in that ring for the duration of that match.

They are trained professionals, who have honed their craft after many years of hard work.

But they are still human.

Mistakes happen.

People have been seriously injured in that ring.

I've seen people get paralyzed in that ring.

I've seen people die in that ring.

There's nothing "fake" about that.

Are the wrestlers punching, kicking, and stomping each other as hard as they possibly can?

Of course not.

That's the beauty of it.

That's where "selling" comes in.

It's a craft.

When I was a kid it was like watching a magic show.

I kept asking myself "How do they DO that?!".

Well now I know how they do each and every one of those things without killing each other.

And that makes it even more impressive.

Calling spots in the ring, on the fly, but you can't even see it, even if you're looking for it.

That's the mark of a true pro.

Then you have my favorite pro wrestlers, the talkers.

The ones who can cut a promo off the cuff.

The ones who can have an arena of 30,000 people and the millions of people watching around the world hanging on to their every word.

To every mannerism.

Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The Rock.

C.M. Punk.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

Chris Jericho.

Great wrestlers, and great TALKERS.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There are so many great talkers in pro wrestling that I could write a 700 page book, and it STILL wouldn't be able to cover just how great all of them are in their own unique way.

The talkers drive the narrative.

A live microphone in the hands of the right person has the potential for magic each and every time it happens.

Then there are wrestlers who are fantastic in the ring, but unfortunately, they don't have "The Gift Of Gab".

That's where managers come in.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

Paul Heyman.

Jim Cornette.

Paul Bearer.

"The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart.

J.J. Dillon.

"Classy" Freddie Blassie.

They all had the ability to TALK for those wrestlers who couldn't talk for themselves.

If you had Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as your manager, you never had to say a single word.

You were a superstar just by association.

Bobby's quick wit and comedic timing were second to none, and he was an absolute MASTER whenever he had the chance to speak.

Bobby could make you look like a million bucks, even if you were only worth two cents.

So as I said before, the talkers are what drive the narrative in professional wrestling.

There are also wrestlers that are much better talkers than actual in ring performers.

But since they can TALK, they'll always have a JOB in pro wrestling.

The actual "wrestling" part can always be learned and improved upon.

But if you can ad lib in pro wrestling, you've already got a leg up.

Imagine an iconic line that you'll always remember from a movie or TV show.

That's what a great wrestling promo does for me.

It stays in my mind forever.

I know every single word from C.M. Punk's infamous "Pipe Bomb" promo from June of 2011.

If you've never seen it, even if you're not a wrestling fan, do me a favor, look it up.

Watch it.

Listen to it.

Digest it.

I promise you that after you've heard it, you'll know exactly why I love talkers so much.

Even from the outside looking in, talent can always be appreciated by anyone.

C.M. Punk made magic on that night in Las Vegas, there's no other way to put it.

Pure. Magic.

The best wrestling promos are the ones that come straight from the heart.

The ones you can FEEL.

They just take everything to the next level.

If the promo if focused on an upcoming match, now you can wait to see that match even more.

If the promo is meant to draw out love or hate for a certain character, then that is exactly what happens, when it's done right.

If I was going to sum it up, this is the best way I can think of.

I come for the professional wrestling.

I stay for the talkers!

My Q & A?!

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 asked for your questions......

And everyone froze!

Well, ALMOST everyone.

This is where I answer the questions from those of you who.......

Wait for it.......

Actually asked!!

So, let's get to the first question shall we?

Question 1 - What is the difference between a good song (of the year or summer) vs. a classic song (one that stands the test of time)?

Excellent question!

I think the first thing you have to look at when it comes to a "good song" vs. a "classic song" is the actual artist/band performing the song.

Especially when it comes to "One Hit Wonders".

They stand the test of time, but the artist or band who performed that song wasn't able to "catch lightning in a bottle" ever again.

For example, everyone knows "Take On Me" by A-ha.

The melody, the pencil sketch music video.

The 80's vibe through and through.

It's a classic song!

It's a song that will never die!

But then you take a song like "Watch Me" by Silento from 2015.

That was one of THE SONGS of 2015.

Everyone was doing the dance.

Silento was EVERYWHERE.

Then....he wasn't.

In today's world, technology is at our fingertips now more than any other time in history.

Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine (RIP).

Things go viral, and they spread like wildfire.

And just a quickly as they spread.....they get replaced.

It quickly becomes 'Yeah, that was nice, but what's next?"

We have a short attention span.

That's just the world we live in.

Things get oversaturated.

But BACK IN THE DAY.....

The exposure wasn't NEARLY as much as it is today.

People waited for their favorite song to play......ON THE RADIO?!

You'd have your cassette waiting IN THE RADIO, hoping to record that song when it came on!

You'd hope that your favorite artist/band came around your area so you could see them LIVE!

When it comes to a classic song that can stand the test of time, look no further than someone like Michael Jackson.

Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, Smooth Criminal.

The man made hit, after hit, after hit.

Every single one of those songs have stood the test of time.

Why?

Because he was a once in a lifetime talent.

He connected with the audience.

His songs all have melodies that you can recognize in less than ten seconds.

The melody is truly what i think makes a hit song.

Now whether it becomes a "song of the summer" or a "classic song" I think is ultimately up to the amount of exposure the song gets, and whether it hits the right audience at the right time.

The type of audience that will play that same song for their children, and grandchildren.

That's the best answer I could come up with!

Question 2 - Who would win in a fight, Han Solo, or Dr. Disrespect?

Wow.

This a question I never thought I would even have to consider.

One one hand you've got Han Solo, one of the key figures in helping topple The Galactic Empire.

He made the Kessel Run with the Millenium Falcon in LESS than 12 parsecs.

He knocked Boba Fett into the Sarlacc pit with MINIMAL EFFORT.

He took care of Greedo in the blink of an eye.

He's Kylo Ren's father.

He's Chewbacca's best friend.

He's freaking HAN SOLO!

HOWEVER.

On the other hand, you've got Dr. Disrespect.

One of the most prevalent current video game streamers on Twitch.

Easily the most entertaining character that Twitch, and the video game streaming world as a whole, has ever seen.

He's the Two-Time.....

Back-To-Back.....

1993.....

1994.....

BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO GAME CHAMPION. In NBA JAM.

He won them right in front of the Killer Whale Exhibit at Marine World.

He's 6 foot 8.

37 Inch Vertical Leap.

He drives a 1990 Lamborghini Diablo VT.

He's an International Video Game Superstar.

"A Jawline that will cut, slice, deliver anything that you can ever dream of, right to your front door, nothing but success, NOTHING BUT SUCCESS, that's what my life is about, PERIOD." - Dr. Disrespect

He has an Ethiopian Poisonous Caterpillar (a.k.a. Slick Daddy) as a mustache.

He has not one, not two, but THREE HIT SONGS.

He runs the most exclusive club on the planet.

The Champions Club.

Could Han Solo even get in the Champions Club?

Maybe.

But here's how the fight would go down.

Han Solo pulls out his blaster.

Dr. Disrespect pulls out his Violence, Speed, and Momentum.

Game Over.

Dr. Disrespect wins.

Final Question - What are your Top 5 WWE Matches of All Time?!

Anyone who actually knows me, knows that I'm one of the biggest professional wrestling fans on the planet.

That's no secret.

But to narrow it down to my Top 5 Of All Time is no easy task.

I love so many.

But this is one of those hard hitting questions that I need to answer, so here goes!

These matches are in no particular order!

Match #1 - Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wrestlemania 13

It goes without saying that for this match, and the other four, that I can watch this match over and over again, and I have, and will continue to do so!

Two of my all time favorite wrestlers had an absolute classic in Chicago back in 1997.

Going into the match, Bret Hart was the "Good Guy", and Stone Cold was the "Bad Guy".

However, by the time they had reached this match, the tide had already turned.

Stone Cold was one of those bad guys that you couldn't help but like.

He was doing everything in his power to be the most hated man in the company.

But the more he tried, the more he got cheered!

So he and Bret took advantage of it, and pulled off the greatest "Double Turn" in the history of WWE.

That still rings true to this very day.

The iconic image of Stone Cold with blood pouring down his face, refusing to tap out to The Sharpshooter, eventually passing out.

Then Bret attacked him afterwards.

That was it.

Stone Cold was now the hero, and Bret Hart was the villain.

The WWE would never be the same.

It's not only one of the greatest matches in WWE history, it's one of the greatest matches EVER.

Haven't seen it?

WATCH IT.

NOW.

Match #2 - The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker - Vengeance 2002

If you've ever wondered what a Triple Threat match is SUPPOSED to look like, then look no further.

Amazing actions from start to finish.

The crowd was into the match the entire way.

Three of the greatest wrestlers in history put on an absolute classic.

I legit cannot say enough good things about this match, because it's amazing.

It also falls under the radar for a lot of wrestling fans, but I'm telling you right now, watch it, you WILL NOT regret it!

Match #3 - "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - Wrestlemania 3

There's nothing I can say about this match that hasn't already been said.

Everyone may have packed the Pontiac Silverdome to watch Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, but with 93,000 plus fans in attendance, Randy and Ricky took full advantage, and that is why THIS is the match that stole the entire show, HANDS DOWN.

An absolute classic, if you've never seen this match, I don't think you're a wrestling fan.

Yeah, I said it, fight me.

Match #4 - The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 25

I know that I said these matches were in no particular order, but if I could only watch ONE match for the rest of my life, it would be this match.

For me personally, this is the greatest match in WWE history.

I remember watching it on Pay-Per-View, and as it was happening, I kept telling myself "I'm watching the greatest WWE match of All Time, it's happening RIGHT NOW!"

You won't find a single flaw in this match, because there isn't one.

This match is the DEFINITION of what a professional wrestling match is supposed to be!

Match #5 - C.M. Punk vs. John Cena - Money In The Bank 2011

To say the the crowd was one sided in this match would be the understatement of the century.

C.M. Punk was in his hometown of Chicago, and every single person in that arena was in his corner.

If was the most deafening standing ovation I have ever heard.

Now with that being said, John Cena was also the most hated person in Chicago that night.

It was also the most deafening standing JEERS AND BOOING I have ever heard as well.

But the match they had in that ring was absolute magic.

This is another one of those matches that you must go out of your way to watch.

It's that good.

You simple cannot manufacture how organic the crowd response was to everything they did in that ring on that night.

It was amazing!

So there you have it, my Top 5 WWE Matches Of All Time!

Well for only getting three questions, I'd say this was still quite the novel on my end!

For anyone who has stuck around this far, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I'll be making another blog in the very near future!!

Until next time!!

Writer's Block?!

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.

Writers. Block.

It happens to everyone I guess.

Now it has officially happened to me.

I've been asking people for blog ideas.

I usually have like five or six different topics ready to go.

Then I narrow it down to one of those topics and off to the races I go!

Not this time.

This is weird.

I'm not used to having nothing to talk about.

I mean granted, if I don't know someone it takes quite a bit to get a word out of me.

Actually, plenty of people that I know very well still take a while to get a word out of me.

Ha!

That's just who I am I guess.

I like to stay "reserved".

I'll speak when spoken to.

If I have something to say, you'll hear it.

Otherwise, I'm just listening.

Observing.

People watching.

People fascinate me.

But that fascination goes to both ends of the spectrum.

I've seen people do things that have been truly AMAZING!

I'm talking breathtaking, spectacular, and every other synonym for "Awesome" that there is!

But on the other hand, I've also seen people do things that have been truly.......dumbfounding.

The kinds of things that make me realize why The Electoral College exists.

I do work at an airport after all.

"Oh that must be so interesting and exciting!!"

Yeah..........no.

Someone once got off a plane at the airport, walked over to me, and asked what state they were in.

You read that correctly.

They didn't know what state they were currently in.

I knew what state I was in.

I was in the state of shock, as well as the state of Connecticut.

I could have told them anything and they probably would have believed me.

But I did the right thing.

I told the person that I didn't know either.

Now we were both in the same foxhole.

Except I knew the way out.

I mean there an exit at the airport.

It's where everyone who gets off the plane goes.

It's the only way out for the general public.

It has signs all over that CLEARLY say "DO NOT ENTER" and "EXIT ONLY".

But at least once or twice a day, you'll see them.

You know who they are.

They look at the sign, disregard it, and try coming through the exit anyway.

That's why we have two people there at all times.

That's why all airports have people at the exit.

Because, well, because people.

So as I stated before, people truly fascinate me, in every way possible, both good AND bad.

I guess having writer's block isn't such a bad thing after all!

I didn't even think I'd be able to get this much out.

Yet here we are!

I started working out.

So there's that.

I've also started meal prepping.

And actually eating healthy.

Because there's no point in working out if you're not going to change your diet.

You can get away with having a good, clean diet with minimal exercise.

But the other way around? Not so much.

I'm not really sure what inspired this change.

I knew it was long overdue.

I guess I just had an epiphany of sorts.

I took a huge step back and told myself "enough is enough".

I've done my first full week.

I hit the gym every day on the way home from work.

I have my meals ready or at least planned for the entire week.

It feels.....good!!

It's one of those things I've started and stopped many times in the past.

Usually due to a lack of motivation, and a lack of self control.

But this time, it's different.

I'm sure plenty of people have said that same thing but then they fell back into their old ways.

I was one of those people, for a very, very long time.

But healthiness and happiness shouldn't have to be a "one or the other" decision.

They should work together.

I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Pretty soon the days will turn into weeks, months, and years.

That's the goal.

My motivation is finally here to stay!

Well, for a guy with some serious writer's block, I'm pretty satisfied with what I was able to come up with, until next time!