Friday, December 26, 2008

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Boardman, Ohio. I spent like fourteen or fifteen hours in a vehicle today driving from Jacksonville to here, and I definitely wasn't used to it. I can do five hours fine, as most people can, but I haven't been in a car for longer than that in quite some time. I got to sleep quite a bit, which I was into, but just sitting back there was just rough. But, I'm here.

Ohio is probably my favorite place I've ever been to. I'm a big fan of being with family, and since I never really got to be with them when I was growing up, I really love coming to visit them now. I don't really know how to put it in words I guess.

We don't really like doing family picnic for different reasons, but the last one we had with everyone was just a lot of fun. I believe I was seven or eight, but I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was just pure bliss for me. I feel like such a loser saying that, but it's very true.

Tomorrow is time with my mother's family, and then UFC with Doug and John. After that is fair game.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas or holiday or whatever. I was gonna post about my favorite Christmas (1997, if you were wondering), and how I got an N64 and that first WCW game for it, and it was so great. I'm not sure if one will be better than that, but we all have to grow up sometime.

I need to move into some cold weather, and hope for a White Christmas. Haven't had one of those in a while.



xxx.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

"If we had known what we know now, one year later, we'd still be around."
- "One Year Later," The Get Up Kids.


Why did I start this post out with a lyric? I'm not entirely sure. I was listening to the actual song, and he just keeps repeating it. I thought it seemed right, so I went with it. We'll see what happens.

I've been really busy lately with work and wrestling. Last weekend's FIP events were fun, but I didn't get to sleep much. I stayed up way too late editing pictures, and then woke up earlier than I had wanted. Granted, I still woke up at around 11am, but still...I'd rather sleep more than less.

Christmas is officially tomorrow, and I'm not very prepared. I think I have all of the gifts I needed to buy, but I still feel like I'm missing something. I'm just stressed. After Christmas, I will be in Ohio until the following Tuesday, and then it's back to the daily grind. This Ohio trip means a lot to me, because it'll be the first time in three years that I've actually been out of the state. Saying that back sounds kind of ridiculous to me, but it's completely true.

I'm a big fan of Ohio because I'm a big fan of having my entire family together. I never got to experience that growing up, and I wish I could've. There's a lot of heat within both sides of my family, but a lot of it seems to have been squashed. I always hated watching television shows where grandparents would come and visit the kids, and bring them gifts and words of wisdom, because I never had that. I have a grandmother that lived with us, and while I love her to death, she's just crazy. Other than that, I can't say I have grandparents, even though 3/4 of them are alive. It's kind of sad.

I'm just kind of lonely. 'Tis the season.




xxx.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

So Andy tagged me in something on Twitter where I have to say seven things that people may not know about me. I believe that is the premise. So, here we go.


I'm a professional wrestling photographer that isn't super into photography. I used to love photography, but I'm kind of bored with it. I know there's still so much more to learn, and there's so much more to do, but it's not where I want to be. For now, I'm fine with it, but someday I will be famous.

I love professional wrestling. I know a lot of people know it, but I like mentioning it. I don't remember the first time I watched it, but my dad said I'd get upset if he changed it when I was a baby. I went to my first live event when I was two, and though I don't remember the location, I remember knowing all of the wrestlers there. I can't tell you why I'm attached to it, but I can tell you that I'm glad I am. I've met too many great people.

I have two tattoos, and both are music related. My first tattoo I got a few days after I turned 18, and it's the sheep from Minor Threat's "Out of Step" album. I've always felt like the black sheep because I moved around so much, and I never got to share the same memories that my friends did. I just don't feel like I'm with the pack, so to speak. The other is a logo from a Lifetime t-shirt of a boy looking at the stars. I'm following my dreams and focusing on the unknown of the future. But, I am still trying to maintain being a child at heart.

I constantly see double vision. I've had two eye surgeries, and I guess it never got fixed. I used to lie about it and say that I didn't see double, but now it is to the point where doctors can't fix me. So I'm stuck with my double vision.

I lived down the street from the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. When I say "down the street," I mean we could see it from the balcony of the condo we were staying in. I hope to never forget laying in bed that night, listening to DC101 playing Blink 182's "Stay Together For The Kids," and smelling the smoke. It really impacted me. I'm lucky in the fact that I didn't lose anybody I personally knew, but I still feel for those that did. Washington, DC was a ghost town that week.

I am only going to college to appease my family. I feel as though I'm not gaining any sort of education, and it all just seems pointless to me. I'm getting my AA and I guess we will see what happens from there. Nothing I want to do involves a college degree, but I guess I could use it as a fall back.

I'm not sure of my religious beliefs. I feel as though it is kind of crazy to think that there is an invisible man in the sky. I also don't think that the population should be afraid of this God, or any god for that matter. I was listening to This American Life the other day, andit had a story about a preacher that started to disbelieve what he was preaching. He said that Jesus was worst than Hitler, because Jesus has apparently sent billions of people to hell, and that's for eternity. I just listen to everyone and take it in. I believe in myself.



There you have it.


xxx.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

So if you're reading this and you're a friend of mine, you should already know that I'm a HUGE mark for The O.C. I decided to check Youtube for some clips tonight (because I'm too lazy to bust out the DVDs), and I decided to watch the ending scene of season one, where it shows Seth setting sail, Ryan driving away, and everyone separating, while "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley played in the backround.

What does this have to do with me? Nothing. It has to do with Summer 2005.

That summer changed my outlook on life.

I hate to dwell on the past, but those couple of months were just crazy. Every day was something new. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. Chicanery. Tom Foolery. Late nights. Early mornings.

That summer was the closest I had ever felt to my friends. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I wasn't alone. I felt as though my friends actually got me, as opposed to pretending and nodding their heads. I had the Tripod. I had the Dodeca Daters. I had countless soundtracks (including "Hallelujah"). I had fun.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Due to the actions at a party I apparently dipped out of way too early, the group disbanded. Sure, there were countless reincarnations of it, but nothing could ever compare.

Nothing will ever come close.

I lived my own O.C., and I'm still here to tell about it. What about you?



xxx.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

I got some old Juliana Theory, M.O.P., and the old Dashboard EPs today. I was reading an old issue of Alternative Press with Juliana Theory, and it got me thinking about how I loved them live, so I decided to revisit.

I have my last final at 10am tomorrow, and I'm not entirely ready for it. Shocker, right? Oh well. I get what I earn.

We had a holiday party at work today, and it was a lot of fun. I got there at 9am and started decorating, and after the festivities and whatnot, I didn't even start working until 1pm. It was sweet.

My cough isn't getting any better. It is just hurting more and more.

The trackball on my Blackberry keeps getting stuck. Damn my sweaty hands. I'm so gross.



xxx.

Monday, December 08, 2008

I've been really sick lately. I guess it makes sense...I have class Monday thru Thursday mornings, work 2pm-10:30pm Monday thru Thursday, and then wrestling Friday-Sunday. I don't have any time to rest anymore, so I took today off from work. This is kind of a big deal for me, as, though I have left work early due to sickness, I haven't actually missed a day of work since about May. I used to have a major problem with wanting to skip work, and actually skipped work more than I should. But, ever since I started at Bank of America in March, I really haven't wanted to. I enjoy the people I work with, as well as the work that I do. It doesn't make sense to me, I guess.

I was in Boca Raton, FL over the weekend staying with my friends the Vitales, as well as Mark and Shain, and of course JD drove down with me. I always have fun when I go down there, and even though Amy and I were basically dying, I had a blast. The show on night one wasn't too great, but hearing the commentary from the boys and getting to hang out with Andy at ringside made the night for me. I apologize to everyone I was with that night, because, due to my age, we were kicked out of the bar area. But, I got to sit down and talk to my friends, and I really enjoyed it.

Second day, we had Fusion down in Boynton, and it was a lot of fun. This company is really going to be blowing up soon, and everyone in Florida needs to pay attention. Had a good time at the Duffy's afterparty, getting to talk to my homie Chris Jones, and the rest of the south Florida guys.

I sometimes feel like such a loser for doing what I do, but I love it. I'm still chasing my dream of making money in this business, and, with this schedule, I might die trying, haha.


I'm all jumbled. I have a final in the morning. Love you.




xxx.