The life of a legend

Most of you will not care one bit about what I'm about to write. Most of you probably won't even know who I'm writing about. But in recent news, Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement from the game of baseball. I don't think I've ever been as sad and disappointed at the announcement of an athlete retiring as I was when I heard the news.

As a child, I don't remember being that kid who had a ton of heroes, and I don't remember saying I wanted to ever be like anyone, except for Griffey. Here was a man that broke into the major leagues at the age of 19. And it looked like he was having fun no matter what he was doing. He played baseball and he was having fun. And to top it off, he was one of the best players ever to play. I wanted to be like Griffey. I had a Ken Griffey Jr. Louisville Slugger, I had a Ken Griffey Jr. baseball glove, I had his poster on my wall. He was my hero. His swing, possibly the sweetest swing in the history of baseball, was a thing of beauty. When he hit homeruns, he seemed to do so effortlessly. The game seemed to come naturally to him, and he was amazing. I have never looked up to one athlete nearly as much as I look up to him.

Now flash forward to now... He had been struggling a lot lately. He was in a career high 103 game homerless streak when he retired. But when he played, he was still having fun. He hit 630 career home runs over a span of 22 baseball seasons. Hitting less than 20 home runs only 7 times in his career. Earned 10 straight golden glove awards at centerfield and came up only 219 hits short of 3,000. He accomplished all these awards and many more during the steroid era of baseball. And throughout the entire investigation has gone on, his name has not been linked to steroid usage at all. In a time when records were being broken, and new baseball legends were taking the stage, it appears that all of the big names have been linked to the usage of steroids. All except "the kid", Ken Griffey Jr. As I have learned this, my respect for the man has only increased. I loved to watch him play, and I'm sad that it couldn't keep going. He was my childhood athletic hero. I've never seen someone enjoy what they do for a living nearly as much as he did.

George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. it was an honor to watch you play sir. And thank you for being a hero and staying true in a dark time in American Baseball. You will be missed, but forever loved and forever remembered.

What is love? (baby don't hurt me)

So I got to thinking today, and I'm not quite sure what brought it on. And for most of you, the idea of me thinking is prone to bring about trouble. But this time, I was thinking something a little more insightful. I guess this goes back a few weeks to when they asked Sierra and I to talk in Sacrament. Oddly enough, our topic was on eternal marriage. Well, Sierra spoke first, and she spoke long enough to leave me with only about 10 minutes. My talk was focused on what makes a successful eternal marriage, cause I guess I'm such an expert at it being that I'm still not married... Ha. Anyways, so I got to thinking that a good successful marriage is based out of doing the little things.

They say that love is never having to say you're sorry. I completely disagree with that! I think a better statement should be that love is knowing WHEN to say you're sorry. Just because you love somebody doesn't mean you aren't gonna say something stupid... eventually. Ha. (just ask Sierra) ;-) But I think when you love someone, you know when you need to suck up your pride and say you're sorry, and to ask for forgiveness for whatever it is you may have said or done.

But I think the biggest key to a successful marriage is to do the little things. The simple little things that don't seem to be that big of a deal, but have a very lasting impact. What are some examples you may ask? Well, let me embarrass Sierra for a little bit. As we all know... I like sports... and not only do I just like sports, but I love attending sports, watching sports, reading about sports, and watching sportscenter every night. And yes, I even enjoy fantasy football. Now, like most people Sierra could have scoffed at my love of sports, and even my dabbling into fantasy football, but she didn't do that. What she did was she got interested in it, because she knew that I enjoyed it. And not only did she get interested in it, but she even went online and created a t-shirt for me that had my fantasy football team logo on it. She then would ask weekly how my team was doing and if I was winning, and what my chances for the playoffs were. She would even watch the games with me! (of course it helped that my QB was Drew Brees who just happens to play for the New Orleans Saints, and that the Saints did exceptionally well this past year, and that I now live in Southern Louisiana) But she stepped up and she did this series of little things, why? Because she loves me.

So what is Love? Love is pretending to be excited about fantasy football. It's watching the football game, or whatever game it may be and learning enough about it to provide noteworthy criticism of the calls being made. Love is also watching Project Runway on thursday nights with your girlfriend and getting excited about it. Love is buying flowers for no reason, love is wearing pink to her sorority function (sorority colors are pink and green) Love is doing the little things, always doing the little things. Cause that's what love is about. Love is going that extra mile not because you have to, but because you want to. Because you want her to feel special. You want her to know that you think about her everyday and all you want to do is make her happy. And love is doing the little things in return, because love is unsuccessful if it only goes one direction. Love is a two way street, it needs both sides to work. That is what love is. And I'm not trying to say that I'm a master at it, because I still know I have a lot to learn, but I'd like to think that I'm getting there. In the words of Rob Gordon, "I think for the first time, I can see how it's done."

Emo like it's high school all over again

Dude... wtf is going on? What in the world am I doing sitting on my couch feeling all depressed and listening to some old school Dashboard for? I look at my life, and I can't really complain. I've got a great girlfriend as was mentioned in the last post, and she has a great family. They've taken me in and they've taken care of me since I've moved down here to Louisiana. So why can I not shake this funk and fell into the pit of high school emo Dashboard?

I think it has a lot to do with my struggle to find a job. Well, I have a job, but not a career job. I like the people I work with, but I'm not by any means planning to make a career out of it. This is mainly going to be me just complaining but that's just how I am right now. I struggle to be truly happy for my friends that have graduated and are already working full time in the field they want to be in, while I'm stuck working in the mall. Don't get me wrong, I've made more money this year already than I did all of last year... but that doesn't make up the fact that I'm a college graduate that's still only getting paid by the hour and not a salary position. Maybe I'm just wondering when is it my turn? Why can't all these supposed connections finally come through and produce a position? I mean, I dunno... I guess I just needed to complain, and this is my forum. I'm really not always this depressed, but I just tend to write more when I am. And of course, it never makes it easy when my dad is always asking if there's any news as to my employment situation. I feel like a failure every time he asks... I never know what to say, besides... "um... well, no Dad, nothing yet... still." I know the job market is not going to come to me, but how freakin far do I have to travel until we find each other?

Wherever you are job, just now that I'm tracking you down, and I will own you! I will conquer this and I will achieve greatness... but I guess I'm just supposed to go through a huge pile of the smelliest, dirtiest, nastiest and all out disgusting pile of... well... you get the point. Life overall is good. Just frustrated at this point. *sigh*

BTW, new Butch Walker album is amazing, get it.

It's Been Awhile...

You know how occasionally you'll hear a song on the radio/ipod/ZUNE that just sparks a memory or some type of inspiration? Well, I guess you could say something like that happened to me. Butch Walker has a new album out, called "I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart", and the last song on the album is called "Be Good Until Then". The song is written from a father to a child and gives him some advice on how to go about his life. Which got me thinking how I was doing.

About 4 months ago I made the choice to move down to Louisiana to be closer to Sierra. It was a bit of a risk, because I was moving my entire life down here for her. Now granted, moving to Louisiana does open me up to many more federal positions for here in the Gulf region. But that was only a side bonus. The biggest bonus and the whole reason for moving down here was for her. And so far, I like to think that it has worked out fairly well. I mean, she and I are still happy together, we've discovered that we can put up with each other on a daily basis and still be happy. So far it has proven to be a very beneficial move.

When she and I first started dating I knew she was special. I knew she had come in to my life for a major reason, which reason I did not fully understand at that point. At first, I thought maybe it was just for a much smaller reason. But now, after being down here for 4 months, I've begun to discover that the reason was so much more than what I first thought. It becomes clearer and clearer everyday what the plan is for us. And it's more and more exciting every day. It seems that moving down to Louisiana has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Things haven't been moving as smoothly as one could hope with the job search, but it seems that at this point, that's not as important anymore. It's easy to say that at this point in my life, she has been the best thing to happen to me since my mission to Cambodia.

Who's got two thumbs and is the luckiest guy in the world?!?! THIS GUY!

Riding amongst the waves

After some encouragement from a friend of mine, I'm writing another blog. Last night, i read a lot of my old facebook notes, my myspace blogs, and even more embarrassing, my old xanga entries. I discovered something about myself. I discovered those that read what I wrote knew more about what was going through my mind then any of my friends or family. I discovered I'm one of those people who will listen to your problems and help you work through them, but for the most part keep my issues to myself. Now sure I've come to a lot of you for advice over the years, but I always knew I was holding something back. Vital information that could have been helpful in giving proper advice. For someone as outgoing as I am, you would think it would be easy to do something like that. One of the biggest complaints I've had against me as a boyfriend is that I don't really open up. And for that, I'm sorry. I don't know if I really know how to open up correctly. I spent my life being the one there for everyone else, that I forgot to take notice of those that were always there for me. But for whatever reason, I can open up on here, express my deepest fears and issues on here, but can't say them verbally. Does that make any bit of sense? No, it does not. But that's how it is I guess.

So then what is on my mind? You know, I don't really know. All I know is that life has yet to turn out the way I was hoping it would. Does that mean life sucks right now? Eh, maybe. But I know it could always be worse. So yeah, it sucks that I had to move back home to Missouri and live with my parents, but at least I have parents that allowed me to do so. I have a warm bed, a hot shower and a roof over my head. Is that really a bad thing? No, my family is pretty cool, so it's been ok. It just sucks that I'm a college graduate who is unemployed still. But I've got a family that loves me enough to support me through these tough times. I've got a car that is in excellent condition, I never doubt if it will start when I go out to start it, and with the exception of a crazy headlight, it functions perfectly. And I get to park it in our garage and life is good. Could life be better? Of course it could, I think life could always be better.

I apologize to those friends back in Memphis and in Mississippi that I've lost touch with. I miss you guys, and I'm trying to get back in the south. I loved my time there, well most of it anyway. haha. But I couldn't have asked for better roommates all throughout college. The best part is, I didn't have to keep changing them every year. We all got along, we were friends, and we have memories I'll never forget. This past year in Oxford was some of the best times of life. Staying up way late and ignoring homework to dominate in another game of Phase10 or lose ridiculously in a game of Yahtzee or any other game for that matter. Going to the basketball games and baseball games all semester long. The coining of such phrases as "WWJD, What Would Josh Do? and then do the opposite." or Jim's favorite quote of mine (that I never really said, mind you) "I can't, I have a receding hair line." Getting conned into going to a Lil' Wayne concert, driving out to Dallas and spending money I didn't have just to go to the Cotton Bowl, catching a home run ball at a Redbirds game. I couldn't have asked for better friends this past year, you guys have been absolutely amazing. I feel like I owe you more than I could ever give you. You guys rock, the end.

So what am I up to now? Well, other then living at home, not a whole heck of a lot at all. I'm looking for a job, pretty much anything at this point. They've already given me two callings a church, I'm the YSA rep for my ward (go figure right, I can't shake it. ha) and I also work with the Bears for Cub Scouts. And it's been way fun. We're working on a skit for the Pack Meeting in a few weeks. As far as the job search goes, I've got a few leads down on the coast. My dad has a lot of connections down there, and so we're gonna see what we can find. I've heard back from places like Dallas, and San Antonio as far as working at federal offices out there. I made the second to last cut in San Antonio, but missed the final cut. Dallas, no dice. And so it's been a big letdown on the job front. But I get to be home and spend time with my family, and that's always a good thing, right? I've been able to watch my little brother play soccer for the high school. Good times.

I guess that's it for now. But whats a blog of mine without some music? So I'll talk about the new Pearl Jam album for a bit now. It's actually really good! I'm a big fan of Pearl Jam, but their last few albums I've liked some of the songs, but typically not the whole album. But the new one "Backspacer" I love from front to back. Especially "Just Breathe" and "Amongst the Waves." The line from "Just Breathe" I love the most says "I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love/Some folks just have one/others they got none." And I realize how truly lucky I am. I do have quite a few people that I love. And you guys are awesome. And then "amongst the waves" just has that great rock song feel to it. One of those songs you just know that when they play it live it's gonna be unbelievable! I love Pearl Jam. And other albums I've been listening to a lot lately are the "High Fidelity" soundtrack and the "Adventureland" soundtrack. Both great movies with equally as great soundtracks. Ok kids, I think that's it for now. Enjoy!

Stadium Attire Etiquette

Ok, so no deep thoughts here, no 'woe is me, why is my life not working out' notes. Just a simple comment on what to wear and what not to wear to sports games.

First of all... for those who don't know, as soon as I got back into Missouri (and yeah, I moved home, ugh) I got a job up at Kaufman Stadium where the Royals play. And while I've worked every home game since I've been home, I've noticed a few things that REALLY bother me.

First of all... Cardinals fans... I have nothing against the Cardinals, and you know, I'll root for them too on occasion. But you know what... you're at a ROYALS game... leave that stupid Cardinals jersey/t-shirt/t-shirt jersey at home!!! (exception, when the Royals are PLAYING the Cardinals)

This is what I don't understand... why would you wear a shirt that supports a team that isn't even playing in the game that day? That makes no sense whatsoever! If you're a Twins fan... wear that shirt when the Royals play the Twins. You like retarded otherwise.

Now, some of you are saying this goes against my concert attire theory, and I say at first glance, you're right. But it's a different situation here. At a concert, it's about the music and spreading word about other bands that people may like while they are at this concert of the person/band they already like. But at a baseball game... it's a contest between two teams. You're either for one team, or the other... not some third team that isn't even present.

Example from my own life, a few weeks ago, I traveled down to New Orleans to go to the BYU-Tulane football game, among other reasons. Am I big BYU fan? No way! Am I a Tulane fan? Nope. But did I wear my Ole Miss stuff to the game? NO! Cause that would be stupid! No one cares if I'm an Ole Miss fan at this game... Ole Miss isn't playing in it!

Exception to the rules is if it is a shirt of a team of a different sport. For example, wearing a Chiefs jersey to a Royals game, totally acceptable, even though you SHOULD have picked out a Royals jersey as well.

ugh, ok, I'm done. I just had to get that out, I've wanted to make fun of sooooo many people this past month because of this issue, and now I feel better! Thank you!

I uh... I dunno...

So... I pulled this up because I figured I was going to have something to say. And I can't really think of anything. Life is mostly pretty good right now. The economy has struck my family pretty well, but we're making it. We're swimming above water... but barely, like many families out there. Life is not where I thought it would be at this point in my life, I figured I'd be a bit farther along with things, but still nothing. And sometimes I wonder what's really in store... but you know... you just gotta keep swimming. Already halfway through september, kinda weird to not be in school anymore, but I'm glad I'm done. I dunno. This didn't really help, so I'm just gonna end it now...