Tonight's game

Anyone care to fill me in? I just heard we lost a heartbreaker. But hey, HOW ABOUT THAT GAME AGAINST THE BUCKS?! Sorry Jennings, not concerned about your rookie of the year run. I mean, your behind the back dribble was nice until the layup got swatted into the stands by our former rookie of the year. I need info on what went wrong tonight (that will prob be you Greg...) Thanks in advance, you should all get the new Clipse CD, ya dig?

I am thankful

Sooooo I'm a Thursday late, but I dont think that I take enough time throughout the year to mention all the things that I am lucky to have in my life. So here is my list:

1. I am thankful for my family. I hated (sorry mom, strongly disliked) them for the majority of my high school years, and to this day it is a regret that I will never be able to fully repair. Even though all four of us are completely different individuals, they have all been there for me through it all. The things that I do daily are to make them proud, and it is a great feeling to know that they now, after everything I have put them through, still love me.
2. My Ford freakin Contour. It may not be the best of the best, but I have nothing but good memories when it comes to that car. I have never broken down, never had a flat tire, and ALWAYS change my oil at least 3,000 miles after I should. Even though I have taken the stand that I will not invest another dollar into her, I would be happy to drive it for years longer if it holds up. It has gotten me to every job and event since the middle of college, and for that I am thankful.
3. Root beer. Barq's Root Beer. It is the BEST drink on the planet, and can quench my thirst more than any regular beer ever will. I have a lot of memories associated with it, and would be happy if it were the only thing I could drink for the rest of my life. I sound fat. Moving on...
4. Music. For a while I don't think I owned a single file of legal music, but I promise that if I could have bought it with my Jacket Express it would have been a different story. Steal music or steal beer? The consequences were further removed, so it was a no brainer. Anyways, music has always effected me more than possibly anything else in life. There are songs that have defined memories in my head, and others that have gotten me through some of the worst times. It can change my mood instantly, usually for the better, and for that I am thankful. "Are you in?" by Incubus has the most positive effect. I dare you not to enjoy it.
5. Friends. Blah blah blah, you know who you are and I am thankful for you. Except if you ask me how tall I am. Ever. I hate it...
6. As Sweet Lou would call them: The Cleveland LeBronaliers. I wasn't raised a fan of any professional sport. I chose the Cavs, and I think that makes me that much more passionate. I was a fan when orange and blue weren't throwback jerseys, and suffered through black and periwinkle blue (you da man Tyrone Hill). I never appreciated fall in my life because it was always a sign that winter is coming. But the Cavs get me excited for October, and I intentional make my work schedule around their game nights. Going scoreless in tonight's pathetic rec basketball game gives me even one more reason to live vicariously through them. And for that I am thankful.
7. My job. Yes folks, I actually said it. After much complaining and frustration, I have come to the conclusion that I am thankful for the job that I have. I am a 24 year old manager of a 2-million dollar business. I wear shorts and sneakers, listen to music, and shoot the breeze with dozens of people throughout the day. I have 20 people who look up to me as a mentor, and to top it off it feeds my well-documented (check my bank statement) passion for shoes. I do complain a lot, especially during holiday hours, but then I think how unhappy I would be sitting behind a desk using Z Table Lookup or whatever Excel command it would be that day. It's not a destination, but it's a hell of a starting point for me.
8. Kali Dye. All I will say is that she has been more accepting of me for who I am than anyone else in my world. We've been on, we've been off. Up and down. But through it all I've known that if ever I needed a friend, she would be there for me. So where ever we end up in life, and who ever we end up with, just know that you have changed my life in the best way possible. Thank you.
9. The Sandlot. Squints, Ya-ya, Porter, Smalls, Benny, Timmy and Tommy Tuppins. Wendy Peppercorn. It will always be my favorite movie, and is the only VHS that I wore out from watching too many times. Many lessons to learn, but more importantly it will always bring me back to my childhood.
10. You. Thank you for reading my blog, and for caring (even just out of curiosity) about what I have to say. This takes more time than I thought it would, but the biggest reward is knowing that people actually finding it interesting and/or entertaining. The other option would be to actually call me and talk to me, but I realize you might not want to go down that long, hard to hang up on path. Either way, thanks.

When choosing a song to end my posts with, I always feel guilty because I know that some family members and church members read my blog. I enjoy the majority of the music that I listen to because of the beats and rhythmns that are there. Believe it or not I really don't think "hustlin" and "cookin' crack" are cool or admirable, I just really enjoy the musicality of a lot of hip-hop music. But enough with excuses, this song is from The Cleveland Show Mixtape, showin' a little love to the local talent.

I forget how to do this. I suppose my typical equation is

1. Say something about the Cavs
B. Put up some related picture
C. Add a song
4. Tell people on Facebook, hoping someone actually reads it. Lame.

Tonight was our first game of rec league basketball. You know, the type of league that old men who are severely out of shape but still want to act like they are athletic play in? We lost. But bigger than that, it made me realize that it is just another example of my life becoming comfortable and midwest like. I have a job that I am mostly satisfied with, but is it really making me happy? I have an apartment but it forces me to always be money conscious and I never really get anywhere with saving or working towards a goal. I drive an average older car, that works just fine but is easily replaceable. I guess none of these things matter, but I have just been thinking about life.

What. Is. The. Point?

I can promise you 100% that I do not know the answer. I'm pretty sure the only definite is that it is different for everyone. But I know for myself that it is (for good reason) the one question that takes up the majority of my free thoughts. Why do I work 50-60 hours a week just to come home to not have the energy to enjoy it? Why do I live in Cleveland, Ohio when there are so many other amazing places in the world? Why do I question any of these things when I COULD just be happy with my life the way it is, and just enjoy it for what it is?

I have always been someone who is enamored with the unknown. In my head there is always something better, newer, more exciting or enjoyable than what I have currently. It has greatly affected every aspect of my life, and not typically in a good way. But I am at the point where I can't deny this fact and I don't think that it will change. I have, more or less, what a lot of people would say is a great life, and yet I am sitting here with little satisfaction. But there are a few things that I DO know.

I know that the point of life has nothing to do with material things. I will not be the old man finally realizing that when he is on his death bed. I love shoes (as you all know), but if they were taken from me tomorrow it would not be the end of the world.

I know the point of life is not defined by where you are or what you are doing. Well, maybe if I was the whale keeper at Sea World I would feel differently; but that's irrelevant.

I know the point of life is different for everyone. What makes you happy doesn't do a thing for me and vice versa. It is all about the personal journey towards whatever your individual passion may be.

And finally and most importantly, I DO know that life's greatest joy comes from interaction with other people. Learning from them. Teaching them. Laughing with them. Sharing memories with them. Without other people no one's life would have any meaning. Traveling the world would be pointless if no one was there to share it. I think that I am extremely blessed with this most important aspect of life and I know that. The people surrounding me are what make the days worth living. Thank you to all of you.

I feel like I have a decent outlook on all of this, and yet I find myself wondering on a daily basis why I continue. So starting tomorrow my goal is to ask one person each day what they think the point of living is. Family, friends, coworkers, strangers... if everyone has a different reason, than everyone can give different insight. People are my key to happiness, so finding out their individual motivations may be the beginning to my own personal happiness. If you know yours feel free to leave it as a comment or message. (Yeah I know, it's next to impossible to figure out how to comment!!) Orrrrrr, gimme a call or text and let me know 216.262.5622. I am going to write down everyone's answers and periodically post them on my blog. Hopefully it can help me, and you, realize why we do what we do.

And per usual, a random song to end my what sometimes seems like endless rant.



And yes, Wally stiiiiiiill sucks...