How pornography affects the human male

 

The most tasteful image I could find...

Porn is have become this massive movement in the United States. According to video put out by Good Magazine:

• 89% of porn is created in the U.S.
• $2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn sites in 2006
• $89/second is spent on porn
• 72% of porn viewers are men
• 260 new porn sites go online daily

Those stats are insane! The fact of the matter is a lot of of people watch porn in this country. But I have noticed that pornography is starting to affect most men in really strange ways. 

First of all you have your full blown case of porn addiction. This is actually pretty serious in that this is a psychological condition that affects people’s lives. There is a lot of debate whether or not this is actually an addiction or not. Though it is not officially listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, some psychologists see it as an addiction similar to sex addiction. It can be described as a “obsessive viewing, reading, and thinking about pornography and sexual themes to the detriment of other areas of one’s own life” (jacked that from Wikipedia thank you very much). Either way, situations like these can and do affect healthy lives and, most importantly, healthy relationships.

But thats not really what I wanted to address here. I just mentioned that so I can avoid the “But Jorge, pornography addiction is a serious problem” emails. What I want to talk about is how porn affects the way we think. I have noticed that I can usually identify how much porn a person watches simply by having a generic conversation with them. Here’s an example:

The other day I was in the car with my friend Jordan and we were discussing the topic of high paying jobs that don’t require a college education. After a while of witty banter and pointless back and forth I mentioned that a UPS delivery men actually get paid well and receive pretty good benefits from what I had heard. He agreed, citing that usually they make deliveries to sexy women who are home along and are “asked to come inside and deliver their package.” I started to laugh, and then I noticed that…he wasn’t. He actually thought that was a frequent occurrence in the priority package delivery business! I didn’t even want to begin to discuss that cable repair guys make pretty good money too.

The poor writing and character development in pornography is really affecting the we see real life situations and is preventing us from reaching logical conclusions about those situations. If a man delivers a pizza to a woman, the woman will pay for and take the pizza. She will not pay you exact change and give you a “generous tip” of impromptu sex. Like I told Jordan, that shit simply does not happen. Just a little food for thought.

Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin call it quits. Try to act surprised…

I’m back guys, sorry for the long absense, FIU Student Media keeps me busy. Anyway let’s get to it:

According to FOX News, Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin have called off their engagement. As all of you no doubt heard, during the election it was revealed that Bristol Palin was pregnant with the child of fellow student (and douchebag) Levi Johnston. Here is a quick excerpt from the article:

The teenage daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her fiance have broken up just over two months after the birth of the couple’s child.

People.com reported Wednesday that sources said the split between Bristol Palin, 18, and Levi Johnston, 19 occurred a few weeks ago, and Johnston confirmed to the Associated Press that he and Bristol mutually decided to end their relationship ”a while ago.” He did not elaborate.

Palin said in a statement to the Associated Press that she is “devastated.”

First of all I would like to be the first to reply to this by saying I told you so. And contrary to what people say (“I didn’t want to say I told you so…”) I did.

Does this run contrary to my personal beliefs? Yes. Is this, in my opinion, the wrong thing to do on his part? Absolutely. I don’t know about him, but true gentlemen don’t pull that shit. Then again, one can’t expect a 19 year old to act like one. However, if you honestly thought that was going to last, you are crazy.

This kid went from banging the governor’s daughter to being thrust in to a full on political shit storm. The GOP’s PR team turned him from a long-haired, whiskey drinking, 18 year old kid and tried to mold him in to a model citizen, father, and apparently model from a Brooks Brothers catalog, and they failed as I knew they would.

In the end, Levi Johnston isn’t just “the queer that knocked up Palin’s daughter” as my friend Joel (who was the one who emailed me the story) put it. In fact she is kind of hot and most importantly a woman, so he is far from a queer. He is a guy who had a night of passion with a girl and paid a WAY bigger price for it. You can’t put this amount of pressure on an 18 year old and expect him to cope. And with the intense scrutiny from Palin, the GOP, and the media, well that just makes it even worse. I would gladly argue that if his ex-mother in law weren’t pursuing a massive political career, he wouldn’t feel so pressured. 

And now, that the sensation that is Sarah Palin is slowly fading, does it really come as a shock that this child wants out of a situation he was no doubt forced in to for the sake of a, now failed, political campaign? The answer is invariably no. 

Is this the end of the world for either of them? No. There are plenty of kids being raised by single moms, and the turn out okay (At least, I hope I turned out ok).

Bristol Palin has the benefit most single moms out there (my mom included) don’t have. She has money, fame and a stable family to give her support. Levi will be okay too, I am sure he will get to see the kid and play a role in his life.  Sadly, seperated families are a reality we see in society today. Though I don’t think it is great, I by no means a hopeless situation for anyone. A marriage where one person feels forced, will only mess up that kid even more than Sarah Palin will. Leave a comment, let me know what you think.

Great Not-For-Profits: NotFashionable.com

 

Photo Source: briergate.blogspot.com

Hey guys, every now and then I like to give a shout out to a cool NFP. And this one is the coolest of the cool. The fact that I graduated high school with Ryan Alexander, the guy who created it, has nothing to do with that assesment haha.

The NFP is called NotFashionable.com, and it’s addressing child starvation around the world. Here is their message, straigh from their site:

“The UN estimates that between 26,500 and 30,000 children die of hunger and preventable dieases everyday. Hunger. Not war, not natural disaster. Hunger. Totally treatable, clearly curable and absolutely preventable. When the UN says that up to 30,000 children die of hunger everyday, they are only talking about kids five and younger. But we let it happen. They don’t get a mention in the obituaries or make headline news. They die silent, painful, lonely deaths. They die off camera and in the poorest places on earth.

We can change this. You can bring change. We don’t have to let this sort of thing happen. The point is not to guilt people into pinching a couple pennies so that we can let ourselves off the hook. The point is to restore humanity to these children. To let them die like this, night after night, is saying something about the way we view life and people. We aren’t talking about making everyone rich or inventing a new concept. We are talking about equality and compassion. We wouldn’t let our own brothers and sisters starve to death if it was within our power to save them. Know that it is.

And they say that apathy never killed anyone.

So think. Think about how blessed you are. Don’t forget that justice and mercy are at the very center of why you are the way you are. Remember that anytime you have a conversation about these kinds of things that you are actively making someone aware of something that they cannot ignore. Always remember that you are fighting for the people who aren’t going to make you famous or rich, but people whose hope you are restoring. 

God is on the move.”

You can help them by buying one of their extremely cool and poignant t-shirts…for a small $15 donation. Check out his site and make a difference! 

Why The Thought Of Marriage Shouldn’t Scare Me…

You know, I was once the type of guy that if I didn’t have a girlfriend, I was looking for a girlfriend. But after constantly dating around I lost a bit of focus on the right things, and when a great girl came a long, I wasn’t ready for it. So I decided to take a hiatus for a while, regain my focus and cool my jets a bit. 

But the other day I heard a story about a cousin of mine who is about to face a terrible divorce. After 17 years of marriage and two kids, suddenly she doesn’t feel the love anymore.

Because she doesn’t feel the love anymore she is going to be taking half the house, alimony, child support x 2, and 3/4’s (or all) of his 401k and pension. Oh and not too mention that before she stopped feeling the love, she racked up a substantial amount of credit card bills on the family account.

The reason I am doing this post the day before valentines day is because I want to make a point. That sadly we live in a world where marriage can be dissolved as quickly as it can be created. Marriage in 2009 is not marriage in 1960. 

That being said marriage is not doomed from the start. I think it’s up to the individuals involved to understand that no matter what, they will always fight for the relationship. And in the end if she takes all your money, and your house, you will know that you fought for it and this is God putting this in your path. 

For the longest time I have always been the biggest “pre-nup” fan. My good friend Joel and I have arguments about it all the time. But in the end I see his point a little more than I see my own.

When you sign a pre-nup, when you bring that factor in a new marriage, it adds a sort of underlying level of distrust. It’s saying “Hey, I hope we don’t fail at our marriage, but I want to be prepared if we do.” I mean most will agree that regardless, it says a lot.

So tomorrow while everyone is with their sweetheart (or writing a philosophy paper and studying for a math exam like me) just keep that in mind. Keep that vigor for the relationship that you have tomorrow every day. Valentines day shouldn’t just be a once a year thing.

Why People Should Give A Shit.

The other night a friend of mine said something rather inappropriate to someone else over dinner. It was a bit out of left field, a bit vulgar, but all in all the term I would use to describe it is “inappropriate”.

I decided to confront this person privately and remind them that “Yo, you can’t just blurt crazy things like that out.” To which this person replied with the eight words that have protected acts of ignorance acts for so long.

“Well I don’t give a shit what people think!”

The problem with that statement, is that it doesn’t absolve you from being an asshole. Sure, if some one says “Well Jorge’s shirt is ugly.” Then I can rehtort with “Well I don’t give a shit about what they think.” But if I am in court charged with murder, and the judge asks me why I killed the guy, he won’t let me off the hook just because of my blatent disregard for people’s thoughts and feelings.

You see, not giving a shit is not some sort of blanket statement to justify whatever action you deemed appropriate. You can’t just offend someone and say you don’t give a shit about what they think, thats just not cool. Sure the person who keeps this in their armory of responses will argue that they go against the norm. Well, there’s being different and going against the norm, and there’s being an asshole.

Don’t be an asshole.

Consider this a The Jorge Zone public service announcement.

Partisanship is the New Racism.

The other day I was speaking to someone about politics. It wasn’t my choice, but this person is particularly submerged in their own [short] list of “political accomplishments”. Any conversation with them eventually leads to, of course, politics. Particularly their politics.

All throughout the discussion were various attacks on the opposite party. “Oh, so and so is such a dirty liberal, I could just kill her!”. I am sorry, I promise for the sake of non-partsianship I will find a douche bag democrat for my next anti-partisanship post. It’s not hard.

After a momentous election, and the inauguration of an African-American president, the world declared racism dead as a door nail. But assuming that is true (which it isn’t) then I think the next thing to replace it will be good ol’ fashion partisanship. Partisanship that extends beyond Washington and resides inside everyone. 

Right now, all these political parties do is divide us as a nation, and empower close minded, ignorant people to form opinions based on party loyalty and not on logic, reason, sense of goodness, or self learning. They build walls between people, close them off from others. I ask you, is that any different from racism? When one person is insulted (or in this case threatened) based upon what they believe, how is that any different than insulting a person based on their race, gender, or religion?

These divisions form this sort of vernacular of…let’s face it, hatred amongst people. “Oh so and so is such a liberal I f**king hate them.” or “Oh so and so is a major conservative asshole.” How is this different from calling someone a spick, a cracker, or a nigger? 

There are two types of people. People who like politics, who seek to understand it from both sides. Who read everything to stay educated, and who seek the opinions of others rather than push them away. Then there are those that gorge themselves on one side of everything. Who shun opinions and relaxed discourse for brash outbursts and personal attacks. Those who use their party loyalty as justification for not hearing another person out. For saying “No, I’m right. You’re wrong. Deal with it.”

People who are fiercely loyal to their party aren’t really helping anyone, least of all themselves. When one follows blindly, there is no one to call foul. No one to say “Hey guys, we’re doing this wrong why don’t we rethink this.” People will just continue to vote, learn, discuss, speak with party loyalty in mind. 

In the 2008 elections, experts constantly reminded us that this election is going to come down to the swing voters, voters who don’t neccesarily ride on the party bandwagon. In a perfect world, we would all be swing voters. 

“I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.” – George Washington

Seriously, who gave George Washington a crystal ball that let him see in to the future? Even Washington noticed the potential walls political parties can build between people. Though not as high or as thick are they as the walls of Racism now, they can be.

Racism has held us back, and divided us. It has hurt us, and it’s scars are visible on the face of American history. Though my argument is that this hard line party loyalty that resides in most people has that same potential, now more than ever. We have a president who seeks to end this partisanship and unite where there was once division. But is it too late? Can our nation deal a blow to partisanship, much like the swearing in of Barack Obama dealt a blow to racism? Who knows.

“I adore political parties. They are the only place left to us where people don’t talk politics.” – Oscar Wilde

I’m Bringing Back “The Swear Jar”.

So I am standing in line at Target, waiting patiently to pay for my bath room rug and my copy of Pineapple Express on Blu Ray, all while on the cell phone with my Dad. We were having a discussion about how bad ass that new Shelby GT500 that debuted in Detroit was.

After that discussion was over I quickly went to the “So when is that Audi R8 V10 coming out, I hear it’s pretty f**king sweet.” Shortly after the small child behind me was shouting “f**king sweet! f**king sweet!” like a parrot on speed. His mother giving me a scornful look as her son is dropping f-bombs like a B-52 on approach. 

Sure that sucks, but I mean he is going to learn it anyway right? Anyway, after some thought I am bringing the famiy swear jar is back. Proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. So if you catch me, remind me to put a dollar in the jar. Peace out.

A Blog About What Blogging Should Be…

The other day I found myself in a heated discussion with one of my friends about bloggers and the media, spawning from this post I wrote here. He argued that most bloggers are idiots and write whatever the hell they want and make broad accusations on baseless arguments, citing the example of how the blogosphere went nuts after someone thought that Sarah Palin’s baby wasn’t her baby. Being a blogger myself I quickly came to the defense of blogging community. Soon after that, he basically dismissed everything I had accomplished in the past 10 months by saying that I wasn’t a blogger I was just “some dude who writes stuff on the internet and doesn’t even get paid”. Knowing full well what this website has done for me, and the things I have accomplished because of it, it’s quite an offensive thing to say. Especially coming from a friend. But as soon as it all wore off, it got me thinking…

In the past two years, bloggers have been getting major amounts of respect from the media. And while yes, anyone can be a blogger and write whatever it is they want, it is still a respectable format for those who normally wouldn’t be heard to voice their opinions. Sure, we have a few people who do write off the wall, crazy stuff, like Sarah Palin’s baby conspiracy. I chose not to but hey, if someone thinks it’s a valid concern, who am I to say no? Now, if you want to write that stuff on your blog, knowing full well it’s highly speculative and debatable then that is up to you. It’s your right, you can say whatever you want..The media knows this. They do filter what they collect from the blogosphere to an extent. I don’t remember a single mainstream media outlet reporting the allegations that Sarah Palin’s kid wasn’t hers. 

However, seeing as bloggers are rapidly becoming fixtures of the media, I think we owe it to our readers to be some what objective. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard because we are now at the forefront of this sort of Media 2.0 revolution. We must remember that in this environment we can, and in fact should be held accountable for our words, even if the only one holding us accountable is ourselves. I put that in bold face because I think it’s important. If nothing else I want you to take that with you. The media is held accountable every day for things they say, and even though the blogging community tends to be out on its own (for now), my question is, given the current state of affairs should we be any different?

We are witnessing the media and the Internet slowly become one. I mean turn on CNN and you’ll see it. Rick Sanchez looks to Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs for live, on-air feedback. CNN as a whole looks to it’s iReports for on the spot reporting as soon as news breaks. Print publications look to blogs for great writers who can contribute and keep their print publications competitive in a world where print media is fading.

Another thing that hit me hard is the “…and doesn’t even get paid” part. I promise you, the day The Jorge Zone starts making money, is the day I stop writing for it. This definitely isn’t what I intended it for. This is a launching point, something that will lead me to something else, something to get my name out there and make my mark. If you are a blogger who wants his blog to make money, then might not happen. I don’t do this for the money, and that is the reason why 99% of the stuff I write here is QUALITY. I do it because I LOVE to do it, and if you blog because you love to write and you want readers then your blog will be successful. Just because we may not get paid, doesn’t make this any less of a profession. 

I have noticed in the short time that I have been doing this is that you can either be a blogger, or “some dude who writes stuff on the internet and doesn’t even get paid”. I am a blogger, and The Jorge Zone is A BLOG. My track record on this site speaks for itself. Do I expect someone who doesn’t do this to understand the difference? No. But at the same time I think the burden is on ourselves to establish that credibility. We need to form our reputation not as individuals on the Internet, but as a community. Wea are voices once lost in a crowd but now given a stage to speak, and an audience who listens. We are tomorrows journalists, writers, poets, and authors. The blogging community, whether you respect it or not, whether you like it or not is definitely here to stay. But the least we can do for you, the reader, is to class it up a bit.

My Inner Thoughts While Dancing at a Night Club

I hate nightclubs, so most of the time when I am there, I usually let my mind wander as I explore a bit and do some people watching…

You know the next time a girl gives me some feminist rant about how men make more money that she does I am going to remind her she doesn’t have to pay twenty dollars cover to get in to a night club. I should be able to get in free at nightclubs, I’m cool. 

Man this music sucks. And why are there so many damn sirens? What do you do during a siren? You can’t dance to the siren, you can’t have a conversation during the siren. So do I just stand here? Oh okay, siren’s over. Wow that girl is hot…ah but her friend isn’t. Oh crap, here comes the weird shot girl…

Shot Girl: Hey you want a shot?!
Jorge: Nah, I’m good thanks!
Shot Girl: Why not?!
Jorge: Well, I don’t make it a habit of drinking stuff that comes out of a test tube in the middle of a nightclub!
Shot Girl: ::confused look:: Um…okay!?

Later on that evening…

Aw they are kicking the ugly girl off of the dance platform, that sucks. Is she crying? Somebody should tell her that life isn’t all about dancing up by the speaker. I don’t think that’s worth crying for. Let me go check my phone, it’s 2 A.M. and my mom probably has an Amber Alert out on me. Hey look it’s Jordan…

Jordan: Man there are more dudes than chicks out there…it’s a sausagefest!
Jorge: Bro tell me about it! Did you see the girl who got kicked off the dancing thing by the speaker!? She was crying!
Jordan: Which one the ugly one!? Yeah well what do you expect?! I mean that sucks but she has to understand that there are certain requirements you need to have to dance there!
Jorge: Yeah I guess you make a good point! 
Jordan: Man I haven’t eaten anything, I’m tired, I’m cranky, I’m pissed…this shit sucks!
Jorge: WHAT?!
Jordan: THIS SHIT SUCKS! This is proof that if you aren’t drunk in a nightclub you don’t have a good time. Like why bother coming if you aren’t gonna drink?
Jorge: Can you believe some midget asked these girls if they wanted to be in a porno upstairs?!
Jordan: Dude that is nuts, society is going to hell!
Jorge: WHAT?!
Jordan: SOCIETY IS GOING TO HELL!

I bet midget porn stars make good money…it has to be a niche market. Oh God, here comes another shot girl…

Shot Girl #2: Hey, you want a shot?!
Jorge: No, I am fine thanks!
Shot Girl #2: Aw come on why not?!
Jorge: No I can’t actually I have two surgeries scheduled in the morning!
Shot Girl #2: You’re a doctor?!
Jorge: Not quite, I am a cardiovascular veterinarian!
Shot Girl #2: Woooow thats sooo cool. Good luck tomorrow!
Jorge: Yeah thanks, good luck ummm selling shots?!

Later on that evening, dancing in the salsa room…

Man the Chargers rocked the Colts tonight, I love when games go to OT. Man, I think Jen is a bit drunk…

Jorge: Jen are you drunk?!
Jen: WOOOOOOOOOHOOOO!!!

Yep Jen is smashed. I think I am going to watch Wall-E when I get home, I love that damn robot. Whoa! Did somebody just grab my ass? I have been groped a few times in here already. Everyone is shoving everyone around, this is chaos. You know next time we are going to Bongos…at least it’s better there for latin music. Hey here comes Juan & Joey…

Juan: Dude next time we are going to Bongos, this place sucks for salsa!
Jorge: I was just thinking the same thing!
Joel: Bro, you want to go home? I am tired and this place kind of blows.
Jorge: Agreed. Lets get out of here.

Man I’m hungry…I want some freedom toast. My ears are ringing big time, I feel like I took a grenade in Call of Duty 4. Wow that girl is really hot. Is that a forty ounce beer in her hand? Damn she doesn’t mess around.

So there you have it…thats what goes through my mind in a night club.

Is Steve Jobs Dying?

Photo Source: Albert Watson

With the recent announcement that Apple will withdraw from MacWorld Expo after this year, and the fact that Senior VP of Product Marketing Phil Schiller will be giving the final keynote instead of Steve Jobs, all signs are pointing to something I have thought to be true for a long time, that Apple’s fearless leader is not doing so well.

According to Gizmodo, a [very credible] source is claiming that Apple is withholding the real reason for their withdrawal from the MacWorld Expo. Originally they cited  that they prefer to do in house product releases, such as the “Let’s Rock!” event or the Macbook/Macbook Pro announcement held at Cupertino, because they didn’t need the event anymore. According to the source

Steve’s health is rapidly declining. Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring.

This strategic loss will be less of a bang with investors. This is why MacWorld is a no-go anymore. No more Steve means no more hype. Saying they are no longer needing [MacWorld] is the cover designed by the worldwide “loyalty”

Normally I don’t comment on rumors too much, especially when it’s in regards to Apple, who is better at misinformation than the CIA. But this time around I am more inclined to believe this. Frankly with Steve’s fading physical appearance and sudden weight-loss, the writing has been on the wall for a long time.

Some feel that this is Apple deliberately misinforming the public and in particular the investors. Steve has been very clear that his health is his business and no one else’s. Frankly, shortly after his bout with pancreatic cancer, for which he underwent the Whipple procedure to attempt to correct, I knew that this would be the eventual outcome. Steve’s health has been the center of debate amongst the community for some time now, and frankly the doubt amongst loyalists and investors is evidence enough that there is something going on behind Apple’s iron curtain.

Does this spell doom for the company that Steve Jobs built? I don’t think so. Steve Jobs may be the fearless leader of Apple, but in the end, Apple has become more than just Steve Jobs. I know that if/when the time comes that Steve will no longer be able to serve as Apple’s CEO, Apple has someone in mind who will continue to push the envelope, continue to drive Apple in the way Steve has done (and that man I hope is Tim Cook).

What makes this so troubling is not regards to the future of Apple, because that is secure, but in regards to the man himself. I always get excited for keynotes because I know something awesome (or mildly cool) will be released. And in the four years or so that I have been following Apple, I have grown a sort of admiration and respect for Steve Jobs. It’ll be sad to see him go, and it will be even sadder to see him really go, but I am not worried that Apple’s mojo will go with him.

Thirty Days of Online Dating.

*This is a follow-up to my first post, “A Skeptic’s Journey in to The World of Online Dating“.*

After experiencing my full thirty days in the world of online dating, my opinion on it really hasn’t changed. Frankly, I couldn’t wait until the thirty days were over, so I can pull my profile and walk away, returning to the real world. Online dating is in essence, an over simplification of the common social ritual of courtship, where a person forgoes meeting their soul mate in person, and instead is matched on inputs, algorithms, and compatibility tests. Then again, the Internet does do a great job of simplifying things for us.

All the women I seemed to meet on that were each very different. Some were actually very nice, and some were very creepy, and some were very hot. But they all shared this sort of ambivalence to it all, like if they are there because past experiences have forced them to be there. I made it a point to ask why they decided to log on and give this a try, and the answers varied a little in detail, but were basically the same. “Well I was in a relationship and that ended. I really couldn’t find anyone out there so I decided to give this a try.” Thats when I began to sympathize.

Honestly, this day and age (sorry for sounding like a baby boomer) it is really hard to find someone. I mean, lately the girls I am meeting are really terrible, so I am not surprised that these women are having a hard time meeting someone too. Good people are a dying breed. My friend Jordan says that it’s because of the fundamental break down of society’s morals, and it’s getting harder not to agree with him. So even though I may not be a big fan of online dating site, I can understand why people use them.

So in the end what have I learned from my month long tour of duty in the trenches of online dating? Well, basically that despite it be impersonal, computerized, dull, cold, and all that…it’s needed. People need a new ways to meet other people, people they normally wouldn’t meet. I must admit that deep down I have always had a sort of curisosity about online dating sites, but now I know that it’s just not for me…at least not yet anyway.

Post IKEA Stress Disorder

My God, what a dreadful place. I went shopping around today for a new office chair. Considering my dream chair was a bit out of my price range, I decided to check out the brand new IKEA store in Sunrise, FL. At first you are taken aback by the whole grand experience that is the IKEA store, until you walk in. You are first greeted by an abraisive IKEA employee, directing you to the sole, upward moving escalator.

“Do not take your shopping carts to the second floor. No pets allowed inside the store. Please be mindful of your children. Please use your IKEA store guides.” 

She repeated this over and over as she shook her head at a woman, who obnoxiously walked around with her teacup chihuahua. As you ascend the escalator you enter the IKEA showroom. A twisted maze, where people are herded like cattle down a one way path. As you mindlessly walk these paths surrounded by plain, simplistic, assemble yourself furniture. Never have I seen so much particle board and formica in my life. Every single product in the store has some strange, foreign sounding name like gungrout and farflen, heavy on the consonants and umlauts. 

I just wanted one office chair. After speaking to three completely useless, completely impersonal sales people, and discovering that IKEA only has ONE type of office chair I decided I wanted to leave. But that is easier said than done. Winding in and out of maze of madness, I quickly find out that you are literally forced to walk the whole way around the store to find the exit…merely 50 feet away from the entrance. That is a long way around.

If you ever see me inside an IKEA store again, it’s because the zombie invasion has finally occurred, and the IKEA store is the last place of refuge for the uninfected. It’s has mastered an impersonal approach to peddling poorly crafted home furnishing that you are forced to assemble yourself. It’s like a double slap in the face. “Here is your poorly made, highly priced furniture. Oh BTW, you have to put it together yourself.” What a home furnishing megastore with a cult following couldn’t provide me, Office Depot could. Peace Out.

A Quick Thought: “Some People Just Don’t Change”

I remember my friend told me one day that “if you surround yourself with good people, good things will happen to you.” That has always stayed with me because it makes so much sense. I think sometimes we enter in to relationships with people, and as we discover things about them, things we don’t like, we seem to close our eyes, plug our ears, and hope that it changes or goes away. But in the end, some people won’t change, and by the time you realize it, it’ll be too late. So all this time, whizzing by all those red flags, all those warning signs, you will stand there, and embrace the inevitability you ignored. Whether it’s a friend, or a boyfriend or girlfriend, it applies to everyone. Make sure you are with the people around you because you admire who they are, not because you admire what you can make them to be. Peace Out.

ADDENDUM:

Hey just wanted to add something. This isn’t any sort of emo manifestation of anything happening in my personal life. I just spoke to someone about a problem they were having and this observation came to mind. Thought I’d share. 

My Quarter Life Crisis.

Everyone at some point in their lives people invariably choose what they want to be. Most of the time, it’s an astronaut, or a doctor, or Superman. I, for example always wanted to be a business man. I liked what it exuded. Power, wealth, the fact that in business, the world is your oyster, there is no place to go but the top. Nice penthouse apartment, Aston Martin convertible, top floor corner office. But see, now, I am not so sure thats where I want to go. 

All those things sound great. But in the end, they come at a price. I see all these business men and I see the sacrifices they make for success. I see how easy it is to get lost in it, and suddenly lose focus on things that are truly important. These guys, they live life with this notion that in order to achieve invincibility, you have to have a stacked bank account. The never ending chirp of the Blackberry, the distant, angry children, and the 3rd marriage usually ensue. Trust me I know…I am the product of such a predicament. I am not saying all businessmen are like that. Some do achieve that perfect balance between life and work. But I think I am over that.

I feel that recent events that have occured (i.e. my CNN experience, the fact that I made this blog, and the fact that it’s doing very well) is God screaming at me that I am meant for something else. I have come to realize that success is not scheduled by the amount of money you make. In the end success is measured by the type of person you are, the family you have, and your love for God. I can think of tons of people that are successful, but aren’t rich. In the end, you shouldn’t do something because it’ll make you money. You should do it because you love it, and because God wants you to do it. Peace Out, thanks for listening. 

The End of an Era: My Lease Is Up In One Month

It seems like yesterday I went to go lease my 2007 Audi A4. Neither did I know that this car and I would drive a journey that would bring me to this very moment in time. This car has taken me to a great job, with great friends. It has taken me to school, where despite varying levels of uncertainty I may have discovered what I am actually meant to do in life. It has taken me and my friends to church, where we go, to chill…with God. It has been the stage for various discussions (such as the epic Iron Man vs. Captain America discussion of January 2008). It has chauffeured many girlfriends, some great, some frightening. I’ve discovered some amazing songs on the Sirius, and jammed very hard to many an album with the CD changer. I have been led home by the nav system many times, which has also led me to find new places after getting lost from listening…to my nav system. Good times, bad times, my car has been there. And though I won’t be leasing anymore, for many reasons both financial and emotional. I am a car guy. I can’t have cars coming in and out of my life. It just tears me up inside a little bit each time. So yeah, this is an ode to my car. Peace Out. 

Believe It or Not, The Christian Stereotype Is Not True.

The Christian stereotype is one that has been around for a while, and one that I have noticed since I became one in the 6th grade. I think we all know the stereotype. Crazed, fanatical, judgmental, out of touch with society? I am sure we dress like pilgrims is somewhere in there too. We all live on compounds, running around calling people heathens, and banishing you to hell for not listening to us. And yes there are some people out there who are exactly like that, but I assure you, it is not the majority. Now my next statement might sound “out-there” to you but I hope you keep reading. The main reason that one would think we are a bunch of crazies is…get ready…the media. Now wait…I am not going to go on a tirade about the evils of the media and the world at large. Frankly, it’s not even the media’s fault. When you flip on to the news what do you see? All the crazed cults who are being raided by the FBI for child molestation or are amassing enough automatic weapons to invade most of South America. You don’t really hear about local churches achieving great success in community outreach programs, making their local area much better. You don’t hear about how they have changed people’s lives, helping single mom’s make ends meet, starting programs to reach out to the homeless, or have started successful alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs. Churches, true churches that reside in communities and neighborhoods are a valuable asset to their respective local areas. 

The people in these churches aren’t really crazy either. They don’t run around shouting judgments at you, they won’t shove their faith down your throat. Remember, Christianity is all about FAITH. When I meet someone and I tell them I am a Christian sometimes they seem to want to try to convince me that I am either insane or wrong. I am neither, I just have faith in that what I believe is true. Just like you have faith that what you believe, be it evolution or Buddhism, or that slightly cool Star Wars religion is right, so do I.  Anyway, it’s nice I got that out of the way but I digress. Yeah we aren’t all crazy. I for instance, don’t dress like the characters in “The Village”, I shop at a lot of stores. I am not out of touch with society, I watch the news, I enjoy R rated movies (I am a pretty big Superbad fan actually…), I have an iPhone and even a Macbook Air. I listen to all kinds of music, even if it has the parental advisory. I don’t run around forcing my beliefs on you, and if you want to hear them that’s cool just let me know. But I assure you what you see on TV or in that moronic movie Saved (which in no way impacted my crush on Mandy Moore) is not the case. 

I was watching CNN today, and Rick Sanchez was interviewing Tony Alamo, who is being accused of child molestation and child pornography, among other things. Basically the entire time he went on about the evils of society, citing ludicrous examples and Bible verses taken completely out of context rambling on about all the “faggots” in the world, and how the “government is the anti-christ”, and basically telling Rick Sanchez he is going to hell. He kept his cool thankfully, but I almost wanted to call in and start refuting everything that man said and making a primary point that he does NOT represent us. It’s people, lunatics, like Tony Alamo, who take what we believe and spin it into a radical, tainted message for their benefit. They use The Bible to justify terrible acts, and to judge and push people away. This situation was the reason I decided to post this. I just don’t want true Christians, good, kind people to be unfairly grouped in to organizations like these.

Anyway, feel free to voice your opinion on this. Agree or Disagree? If you have a valid, calm, thought and present it like an adult I will be glad to hear you out and reply. I keep a very open mind so I value your feedback. If you are going to be a moron who wants to yell, scream and be ignorant, don’t even bother cause I moderate comments. Peace Out and thanks for listening. 

A Valuable Lesson In The Game Of Life.

This one goes out to all the youngin’s in 7th and 8th grade out there, though it can be easily applicable to anyone. I have learned recently that things can and do change. But the crazy thing of life is that not only can things change, people can change as well. Say for example, that crazy girl a grade under you when you were in the 8th grade. You know which one I am talking about…the one that had that one BIG tooth instead of two front teeth. The one who was a little odd so you shunned away as did everyone else. Well, in the end, I will remind you of two things. First, since 1997, the field of cosmetic dentistry has grown by leaps and bounds. Secondly, never underestimate how gorgeous a girl can become in 9 years.

So moral of the story? The moral of the story is to be nice to everyone. You never know what might happen in a couple of years. I hope this was informative. 

The Large Hadron Collider: Destroying Your Plane of Existence Wednesday!

So according to the CERN August 7, 2008 press release, LHC’s launch date is this Wednesday, September 10th. I think if this go dangerously south, and the very thinkable happens, it’ll feel much like the series finale of the Sopranos felt. Journey will stop suddenly and it’ll all go black…because usually thats the color of black holes. So, with the possible destruction of everything we know possibly hanging in the balance, I want to get a few things off my chest:

 

• First of all, Mom, thanks for being an awesome mom, and for always being there, standing up for me when Dad didn’t want to help paying for anything, and molding me in to the productive young professional I recently became. I really don’t hate your dog leelou. I find her stupidity and random behavior sort of entertaining. If she were gone I’d be slightly sad.
• Dad, when I told you some guy rear-ended me at Taco Bell and sped off, that wasn’t true. I rear-ended a brick mailbox trying to do a three-point turn to get around a family of ducks crossing the street.
• To the girl who sings at church, I don’t know your name. But you are very pretty and every once in a while I see you on the way out and have wanted to say hi (or anything similar to that) but your beauty coupled with my complete nature to be a spaz has led me otherwise. My friends yell at me every single time I don’t say anything. Maybe after Wednesday, if the world doesn’t ignite into a large fireball I might just say hello.  
• To my cat Pierre, I am sorry I didn’t name you something cooler. You know how mom is with naming animals. Your smug, arrogant demeanor is entertaining and you are a very nice pet. Though I was the one who…wait why am I typing this to my cat, he can’t read much less log on to the Internet. 
• I think America Ferrara is hot. Some people have criticized me for this however I am sticking to my guns. So is Laura Bush…
• I’ve told a few people that I love the Will Arnett movie “Let’s Go To Prison”. That was a lie. I think Will Arnett is the man, thought that movie wasn’t so great. I just tell people that so they buy it like I did to support the awesomeness that is Will Arnett. 
• I’ve watched Bad Boys II maybe 50 or 60 times. Each time is better than the last.
• In my opinion, the best videogame ever made is NOT GTAIV or Halo but True Lies for the SNES. 
• And lastly, when I switched over to my iPhone, it made me miss my blackberry…a little bit.

 

 

So yeah, thats about it. I might add more later.

My First Day…

So all in all my first day of school wasn’t so bad. Sadly however, it is not over just yet. Currently I am sitting in Mini-FIU (Broward Center) currently awaiting the start of my Accounting for Decisions class from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Relax, it’s only once a week and not too far from where I live. The movie theater I frequent is just down the street so if I can go and see a movie, I can come here. I had to plow through a moderate rain storm in order to get here, but at least I get this class out of the way, move on to more interesting stuff. 

Math class is all good. The teacher is very PowerPoint focused which is good and bad in a way. In case you want to see a picture of him here he is…

Sadly I am not joking. He literally looks (and sounds) like Ricardo Mantoblan from Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn. I am afraid he might try to trick me with his superior intellect and leave me abandoned with the Genesis project. 

International Relations has turned out pretty good too, considering that Monday from 9-9:50 AM I have a “discussion period”. We’ll see how that goes, it looks like one of those classes that will go in to chaos after debating the issues. Anyway, I might head over to that class now. Peace Out.

Oh wait some dude just showed up in army combat boots and a black trench coat. Wait…he is carrying a Luis Vuiton…umm purse? False Alarm.

Walking Is Now Obsolete.

So I saw one of these the other day and it suddenly struck me, the Segway can easily become more popular than walking. Though here is my question, why are we allowing this? I mean, it’s really dorky looking. Sure it’s a breakthrough in transportation and all that but come on…it’s not really a chick magnet. But I mean come on, whatever happened to walking? Seriously, I am afraid that as soon as this picks up, and we will abandon walking all together. And then the only companies that will flourish will be funeral homes specializing in heavy duty caskets and of course…Segway.

Back To School…Back To School

So my amazingly brief yet meaningful summer is now coming to a quick close. Monday morning I am going back to class with various of objectives to accomplish, one of them being the fall of mighty Math. I also created this very blog in the summer, something I will continue with for a while. So I am not grumpy going back to school, I am eager. Something that rarely happens. Anyway, it’s going to be a good fall semester, so stay tuned. Peace Out!

P.S.

FIU just called. They told me that my payment was short 36 cents. So I have to go in the morning and give them 36 cents or else. They wouldn’t elaborate on the “or else…”. I am assuming they are going to kill me, or may be kill my cat. If they kill my cat…prepare for war.

Three Months Sober…

No I am not a drunk. Believe it or not, I was once one of the 12,000,000+ people who played Word of Warcraft. I rarely admit to this, as it does hinder my chances with women among other social interactions, but sometimes one must reflect on their past in order to understand their future. Honestly, people who laugh at people who play this don’t really understand what this game demands from you. My friends and I all played together, fought in the most glorious of battles, fended off the horde more times that we can count. We’ve amassed piles of Murlocheads, have slain many an instance boss, and have lost many rolls for purple items dropped by common creatures. But as those who have played know…this game does a bit more than just entertain you. It has the ability to become you’re free time. When you get home, you want to play. When you wake up, you want to play. The difference between us and others is that we realized just before it was too late. We have lives. Things we need to do, things we need to accomplish. WoW, as awesome as I am willing to admit that it is, is just a distraction. So if you are like my friends and I, recovering from quite possibly one of the most profound gaming experiences of the digital age, I am happy for you. And if you are still walking the kingdom of Azeroth, well I am jealous of the amount of free time you have. 

 

Mountains to climb…

I think everyone at one point has mountains they need to climb. God puts these in our way not to make things difficult for us, but to test our faith in Him and most importantly to test our faith that with Him we can accomplish anything we want. But sometimes those mountains seem daunting. We look at our situations, whether it be something we are afraid of, something we need to do, or someone we want to be with, it can all seem a little intimidating. 

Speaking about me personally, when I see something that intimidates me, I tend to just play it safe or try to put it off and avoid it. And as I learned about last week, God doesn’t want me to play it safe. How am I going to accomplish what God set out for me if all I do is play it safe. So in my efforts to correct some of those things, I joined a Gracie Jiu Jitsu school. At first I was a bit weary, I am not always the most committed, disciplined guy. But I have realized two things: First, I have realized how terribly out of shape I am, and secondly, I have realized that I can be a disciplined and committed person, but I just have to find the right thing and stick to it no matter what. And I am positive I found the right thing. I want my commitment and discipline to permeate through to other aspects of my life. My faith, my school, my family. But in order to get here, to get where I needed to be, I needed to climb some mountains.

My Crazy Day…

So I woke up around 8 AM yesterday to find someone broke into my car. Bastards. Is nothing scared anymore? Is this what the world has come to?! Anyway sorry. Luckily for me they were by far the most reta…umm cognitively disabled criminals on the planet. They went through the effort of hacking my keyless entry, going in to my car and literally stealing nothing. They left my three pairs of sunglasses (what I like sunglasses, shut up) and the only thing they took was my blank Audi Warranty Feedback Card. Great score guys, very Ocean’s Eleven. They also took some stuff from my Grandfather’s car that I had been begging him to get rid of for a while now. Again, thank you for helping me out guys!

 

Also, while I was outside the previous night (before Danny Ocean and the rest of the crew showed up) I found these little guys…

I found them inside one of those decorative ceramics jugs…idk what they are called. But anyway, I had to run to PetsMart to get some kitten formula and a bottle. Yep that’s right, I’ve had to bottle feed both these little guys every 3 hours. One of them, FemaleCat, is pretty springy and energetic. Drinks a lot of milk. While the other one, MaleCat, is a bit weak, and he sleeps a lot (he looks dead sometimes actually, we’ve had a couple of scares) and is a bit resilient to the whole feeding thing. I unfortunately cannot keep them. And my friend, who I am sure would keep them is away on a trip. So I am dropping both of the candidates off at the Adopt-A-Friend Shelter in Broward, it’s on Griffin Road, one mile west of I-95. I called the Humane Society of Greater Miami, but they told me they would probably put them to sleep. After I yelled at the woman for a good 10 minutes about how she would feel if they put her to sleep, I hung up the phone and called the Broward Humane Society, who said they don’t euthanize. If I can find them a home before then that would be great too. I didn’t already have a zoo in my home I would keep them, but I think this is the best option I have so far.

So besides all that, and being sick, I am slowly getting ready to change my life up a bit. I am totally changing the way I eat. I am eating better, more often, and with a wise, rational mind. No more sweets, sodas, beer, coffee. No more a lot of things actually. I have booked my very last round of golf (it’s an expensive game to play). Instead I am going to join both my friends at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Miami, learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s a bit more rough, but it looks cool, it’s perfect exercise, and I get to experience it all with my two friends who live and die by this stuff. My mom thinks it’s good, I need to learn about discipline and commitment…whatever those are. Last Saturday, God really wanted me to go and listen to Pastor Troy (the actual Pastor, as I learned there is also a rapper by the same name) talk about how men are the warriors. We are confident and proud. But these days we play it so safe and close to the chest. We are like caged Cheetahs. Definitely lit the fire within..

Also this is my hundredth blog! I am pretty impressed that I have stuck to this and stayed dedicated to it for so long. I have a ton of them already written, they should be popping up soon. Anyway, wish me luck tomorrow while I stop playing it safe…peace out!

Mistakes Made Are Lessons Learned

We tend to look at mistakes as something to avoided at all costs. We know that making them is unavoidable, but we try to bury that really deep down. I guess it’s to find solace in the fact that we can avoid making them if we are careful. But honestly, making mistakes shouldn’t be seen in such a negative light. We aren’t perfect, but when we learn from our mistakes, we become wiser. We are wise to the idea that what we did wasn’t the best, and you learn to never do it again. Whether it’s a missed opportunity, or a lapse of judgement, it’s still a lesson learned. Sure, I’d have rather not made a couple of mistakes here and there, but in the end I am here. And I cherish all the mistakes I have made because I am here, wise beyond my years, ready to make a couple of more. Peace Out.

Annoyed.

I am really annoyed at something I have no control over today. I feel powerless. I can’t stop it, I definitely can’t make it go away (cause it won’t). It continues to linger, persistently. Just when I think it’s all said and done, it comes back. 

So I officially surrender.

All I can do is continue to be annoyed by this. And I am bored of being annoyed. So it ends here. I have already spoken my peace about it and I refuse to speak about it anymore. Do I consider it a mistake on my part to have ever pursued this in the first place? The more the days go by the more I am convinced it was. But that is neither here nor there. Being annoyed leads to being angry, and being angry only affects me. So it’s over. However this plays out, is how it plays out. I won’t sweat it, or worry about it. I…am not annoyed. Woosa.

Thank you for letting me vent while still keep the situation I am venting about in anonymity.

August 5th 2008: The Most Boring Day Ever

Today is one of those just nationally boring days. Where the nation units to be bored together as a people. I am epically bored today. Nothing really interesting to write about. Nothing too important going on. It’s quiet more or less everywhere you go. Even the press is bored today and the proof is on the homepage. CNN is the most bored of all, with headlines like:

More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo
They found Gorillas in the jungle…get out of town.

Man calls 911 over sandwich
This is epic.

Mountain Lion That Snatched Dog Killed
Wow…

So yeah, let me get back to being bored. Peace Out!

Getting it all together…

When you have an idea of what to do, and you have the means, the focus, and the ability to do it, it feels great. School is staring up again. And applying my new, carpe diem like, philosophy I am pretty excited. I finally have I guess grown up, set goals, and decided to act upon it rather that sit and wait. This is a defining moment for me. The end of the old, the beginning of the new. And I have a great optimism about all this. I always get psyched before the new semester starts, but this time I am…super psyched? This semester is going to be long and rough. I got to conquer Math, which will finally fall. I will be swimming in pre-requisites and numbers. And instead of being wary in myself, I am going to give it 100% and put my faith in God.

Bring It On.

Well…

Tonight’s plan was to take a shower, cook dinner, and write an empowering, fiery blog about how ignorant it is to compare presidential candidates to Adolf Hitler (something that has been occurring around me very frequently this week). Well all of that changed when I slipped and fell getting out of the shower. What is a notorious mishap for elderly people has occurred to a 22 year old college student. I can barely move now. So yeah, blog(s) coming soon. In the mean time I am going to ice down my entire left side and watch Generation Kill. Peace Out.

Bumps along the way…

So aside from being completely fooled the other day, my week has been rather…umm can’t think of a word right now. Something less severe than “turbulent” I think would fit. Lately I have been taking a proactive approach in regards to getting my life in order. I have finally settled on what I want to do and on what direction I wanted to go in various aspects of my life. My school (and ultimately my career), my health, my faith, all of these things I want to change. Well overdue in some cases yes, but better late than never. Accomplishing these goals requires some give and take with myself. Whether its giving up something I enjoy to make time for something I need, or eliminating something that I know isn’t wise to pursue. At the same time, it involves starting something I know is good for me and I know I should do, or basically start doing something awesome that I normally don’t do. This transition isn’t easy, and honestly without God’s help I wouldn’t be able to do it at all. I remember once, a pastor said that people can’t change all of a sudden, by themselves because they want to. They change cause God helps them do it. I know God is in my corner, but that’s not to say that there won’t be some bumps along the way. Those bumps are good, because they test you, and how you work through it is how you will work through everything like that forever. One in particular this week was a frustrating situation with a simple answer. I was just tired of talking about it, tired of dwelling on it, and I just basically surrendered it to God. I wasn’t going to solve anything with arguing against it anymore, or thinking about it. Sometimes the best way to navigate the bumps in the road is to drive around them and then go a bit faster, and that’s what I did. Trusting God with every facet of your life is like having shocks and a nice set of tires on your car, it smooths out the ride a bit. And he would be the engine…and road side assistance, bad analogy but well I hope you get what I am saying. Without God, those little trials and tribulations in life will tear you to shreds. So yeah till next time…peace out.

Confessions of a Bruised Ego…

I always thought of myself as a crafty dude. I could see a trap coming, and if you wanted to trick me you’d have to get me pretty early in the morning. But folks, I have been tricked. In what I can only describe as diabolic brilliance.

 

 

If I am James Kirk, this person is my Kahn.

 

 

I must spare the details for this blog is likely monitored. But man, this was genius. It was planned yet still with elements of chance. A humbling experience to say the least. I think there are a couple of lessons to be learned here. First, never underestimate the enemy, no matter how harmless they may look. And secondly, when you are in a moment of panic, think…then act.

Envy shoots at others and wounds itself.

I went to church this week after not going for a couple of weeks. And it amazes me that when I go there, the message for that night just hits me dead on. This week, a visiting pastor (who was a pretty cool dude) spoke about envy. That’s why I went with The Hulk, you know…green with envy. He was talking about how the basis of most, if not all, crimes committed is envy. He went on define envy as when someone wishes they had the blessings of one person, without realizing their own. How it was sort of our own prison, we were trapped on the inside, looking out. I found myself totally relating to what he was saying. I think more with the green monster within when it comes to life’s decisions. An example of that is my decisions when it comes to school. For the longest time I wanted to do whatever I needed in order to make money. I put off choosing one major because the other major would make me more money. But the fact of the matter is that I shouldn’t be choosing things like that. I need to choose what I love and more importantly what God wants for me. Of course I want the success and the house with the cars and all that. And if that’s what God has planned for me then He’ll give it to me when He wants to. We live in a society that emphasises status and wealth. And boy, when I see an Audi R8 driving down the street, it sure fires up that green monster within. I have had this mentality up until recently that making money defines a man. But honestly, I’d rather live paycheck to paycheck and be happy and healthy with a good family than be rich and miserable, or even worse, alone. When one envies the blessings of others, one usually shrouds their own. I am not rich, but I am healthy. I don’t have a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder (black with the black interior and the yellow stitching), but I have a good car that gets me where I need to go safely. I’m not famous, but I have a great family I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, and the best friends a guy could ever ask for. So in reality, God has blessed me with so much more than money. And with that…I’m out.

How does it feel to be twenty-two?

Exactly like it felt to be 19 actually. It’s relaxing knowing that I can now drive a car, smoke, drink, die for my country, be able to rent and operate single engine watercraft, and lear how to fly single engine aircraft. It’s pretty much a glass ceiling now until I get to 25. Thats when I can rent and operate double engine watercraft. I guess I need 3 more years of maturity to fully appreciate the amount of responsibility a double engine boat requires. Anyway I had a great time on my birthday. Tons of giftcards and cash so I thank everyone. My Facebook lit up like a Christmas tree as it normally does once a year. I think I am going to buy a digital camera. I have everything BUT a digital camera which is a bit disappointing. I bought a camcorder like 3 years ago. Biggest mistake ever. Don’t buy a camcorder thinking you’ll be recording everything to video, cause you won’t. So right now I am price hunting, cause I have a very specific amount in Best Buy gift certificates so I am going to price match them till it hurts. Anyway, Happy Birthday to me, blah blah blah. Got some good blog ideas this week, stay tuned. Peace Out!

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes.

Change is inevitable. What I grow accustomed to, and comfortable with will eventually change. Sometimes, I wish that things would stay one way forever. Be it because I am happy with it, and I don’t want anything else, or because I am afraid of how the change will affect me. I think everyone has an inherently selfish view when it comes to change in their life. We all have our comfort zones, and we all want those comfort zones to stay the same forever. Whether that comfort zone is place like your room, or if that comfort zone is a relative or a place, it will eventually change. We don’t want it to of course, cause then we wouldn’t feel comfortable anymore. Your room can change tomorrow, you can move to another one. Or you can lose it in a flash flood or a tornado. That someone you find comfort in won’t be around forever either. I think that the only thing we can take comfort in is God. We can take comfort in the fact that God doesn’t change. He’ll be there no matter what. And the best thing about God to take comfort in is when He does change something in your life, it’s because it’s good for you, even if you don’t see it that way at the time. Peace Out.

A birthday comes only once a year…

So in about 6 days I will transition from being 21 3/4 to being 22. I think my quarter life crisis is in full swing and I am in a unique position. I am not totally dreading it. I am not one of those people who say “Oh no I am going to get one year older, blah blah blah.” But at the same time I am not completely overjoyed either. This wasn’t always the case you know. Way back I was pretty psyched once the big day came around. Usually the event was themed in some way, and involved some sort of video game console. But now it’s different. I hate parties. I’d rather just go to a restaurant with friends and hang out. If you ask me what I want for my birthday, I probably wouldn’t know (if you asked me 6 years ago I would have said a GameCube). I really like being 21. It’s awesome. God has taught me so much in 365 days I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But then again, I said the same thing when I was about to turn 21. You know what? I think I just had a mild epiphany mid blog. Look I can’t justify complaining about getting older. Think about it, I learned so much in one year, imagine what God has planned for the future. I am psyched. Bring it on 22, I am right here.

State of the Jorge Address

When we drift away from God, it’s not like we just rip free and drift off forever. We just have a lot of things that come in between. I can attest to that. I think that I let a lot of things get in between. All those things run through my head, and make so much noise that they drown out what’s important. It’s like trying to hear someone whispering to you during a Hockey game. You can hear over everything going on (especially if you have an obnoxious Devils fan next to you). The only thing left to do was to take stock of everything and just eliminate that which was coming in between God and I. My Bible teacher always used to say that in order to listen, you have to be silent. Well, actually my mother says that too but she means it in more of a “shut up and listen” way. As soon as I did that, as soon as I realized that I am not in charge and I needed to have more faith in God and less in me, then well, everything came together. It’s all good. Anyway, I’m out…super tired and I got work tomorrow. Peace!

UPDATED: I hate the beach.

Today is a spontaneous beach day. I really hate the beach. I hate the sand, I hate the sun, and I really hate the dangerous creatures in the ocean. I only go because of my friends. Now, I am sure you are probably thinking “Ah well, Jorge you are just a jerk cause the beach is awesome.” Well incase you have not noticed. I am white. And not just any type of white, I am like almost clear. So as you can imagine for me to enjoy the beach I have to have various thick layers of SPF 350 on…with a hat, and a white t-shirt. If I don’t do this, I will horrifically sear, much like the steaks on those Applebee’s commercials. I understand, once I have kids, I’ll have to buck up and take them to the beach regularly. But if my heir ends up being as white (or whiter) than his father, he’ll develop the hatred for this place on his very own. I haven’t even gotten to the beach yet and I already want to shower off all the sand and go to sleep. Peace Out!

UPDATE: It wasn’t that terrible. The day was overcast so sunburns were not an issue. I don’t trust clouds and the chance of rain so I marinated in SPF50 anyway. After that we went to Ale House, so all is well. I can maybe start to like the beach…maybe.

"Alright sir, take off your clothes and step through the metal detector."

I read this story this morning when I got to work. Turns out TSA agents are now using this new body scanner at some airports in the United States. It uses a technology that makes a 3D scan of your body. Along with detecting guns, knives, and the usual bomb, it can more or less see you naked.That’s just great. Lets go ahead and sacrifice the only shred of privacy that we have left when we travel. I think Ben Franklin put it best when he said that a person who sacrfices privacy for security, deserves neither. Plus I mean, my heart has to go out to Scarlett Johanson and Jessica Alba. They must travel frequently, and can now be oggled by 4 or 5 TSAs in a private room. Sure, they say that the machine doesn’t store images, and each person is processed right then and there but come on. You don’t think if a celebrity walks through his or her scan won’t end up somewhere on the Internet by the end of the day? What’s next, will we have to strip down to our boxers to walk through the metal detectors. I mean honestly, I understand what they are trying to do, and I try to comply with whatever they say (even when I have to explain to them that my Macbook Air is actually a laptop) because being a TSA is not easy. They are the first and sometimes only line of defense thats stand between us and some guy trying to light a fuse sticking out of his Nikes. In this day and age the Patriot Act rides on a thin line that seperates security for the sake of safety, and invaison of privacy. Whether you agree with the Patriot Act or you don’t, the line is clear. The day we Americans start giving away rights, such as the right to make sure that only people we allow can see us naked, for the sake of security we are done, becuase what else would we give up to feel secure?

Mind Venting Part II…

It’s boring at work today. I hate when you finish all your work like two hours before you have to leave. You don’t want to start anything too time consuming that it will take you more than two hours. Yeah, thats what is going on right now.

I have all three Pirates of the Caribean movies at home on Blu Ray. I have Netflix (and by Netflix I mean Blockbuster @ Home) so I can return them whenever I want. But the thing is, I have had them for like, maybe a month now and I just don’t feel like watching any of them. Everyone is saying “Oh Jorge, Pirates of the Caribean rocks! You’ll love it! Keira Knightly is hot!” Yeah she is hot. But I don’t know I really don’t feel like investing myself in a Pirate movie. I really should return them soon, there are other movies on my list I want to see. Decisions, decisions…

Gas prices are going up and the economy is being lousy. So I decided I am going to enact my own personal plan to help out the economy. First, I am going to get a Hybrid car after the lease on my car is up. Sure, some people argue it will take you forever to recoup the worth, but you save a little bit on gas, and I will not only be helping the enviroment, but I will also be helping reduce our dependance on foreign oil. I am also going to lose weight, so I won’t be a burden to the healthcare system. I am going to tithe 10%. Not only does it help out the church, but the church will use it to support the community, and in essence, stimulate the economy. Also, I will probably buy the 3G iPhone…to you know…stimulate the economy, and stuff. This is part of my new Jorge 2.0 revolution…or as Ron Paul calls it, revolution (get it? it’s love backwards. Ron Paul is a lunatic).

Anyway, thats all for now.

Oldie But Goldie: Lessons Learned…

I found this posted on my MySpace. I had just ended a very brief yet horrible relationship, and this is basically a summary of all the lessons I have learned in the brief time since I turned 21. Stuff I learned from personal experience, and some that I learned through the eyes of others.When I wrote it, I was listening to “Easy Tiger” by Ryan Adams. That album is just as awesome then as it is now. Enjoy…

The best way to learn is through experience. And it’s those experiences that in the end make us better, whether the out come was good or bad. In the short couple of months since I turned 21, I have learned a lot of things. Some times I learned the easy way, and sometimes, the very, very hard way. I knew I would eventually learn these things, it never dawned upon me that I would learn them so soon, but God likes to teach us things on His own time, not on mine. And at the very least I find it comforting, because if it were up to me to learn everything on my own time table, I never would. Sometimes you learn through your own experiences, and sometimes it’s through the eyes of another. But you still learn it. And in the end, regardless of outcome, you are grateful for the lesson.

 

• Decisions are hard. No matter what you are trying to decide between they can get difficult. You’ll make some good ones and you’ll make some bad ones. But when you make the bad ones, take responsibility for it and try to never do it again. Dwell on it for the purpose of reminding yourself that you should probably never do that again and move on.
• If a person likes you, they won’t try to change you. And if all the little things become big issues, move on. Cause that means that person can’t see past the little things (for one reason or another) and as a result, won’t be able to see the bigger picture. 
• Don’t be a push over. Stand your ground. If the other person can’t see logic and reason when it comes to something simple, then they are never going to see it. Life is too damn short to be dealing with drama and insecurities. Finding someone who jives with you is hit or miss. And chances are you’ll miss a lot before you hit, so be patient.
• Let people talk crap. Caring about what they say is giving them too much attention. Just be happy when you know good people who know who you really are and how full of it they are. When people talk trash, they end up looking a lot worse than what they are saying about you. If they really knew who you were, then they’d know that what you say isn’t true.  
• Don’t doubt yourself and don’t worry about the future. Success won’t come if you are too busy worrying about where you are going to end up. It’ll come when you trust God with the things you can and can’t control and apply all the energy you use worrying about the future to doing things in the present. Success is in the eye of the beholder. And sometimes it isn’t measured by how much money you may have or how powerful you are.  
• Just as you shouldn’t let people change you, you can’t change other people. No matter how close that person is to you if they are set on decision, nothing will change how they feel. You can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Even if you feel a little betrayed because you expected more of them, in the end, if they aren’t willing to fix their mistake, they don’t see it as one. Then what that means is the lesson you are trying to teach them will have to be learned the hard way.
• Something is one thousand times better when you are waiting to have it. Then, once you have it in your hands, you run the risk of something terrible happening. Realizing that it’s not all you thought it was going to be, and what you left behind is actually better. So next time you get all crazy on the hype, take a few steps back, breathe, and analyze the situation. You may be surprised as to what you may find out.
• My friend always says “Surround yourself with good people. Because when you do, good things tend to happen to you.” This statement is completely true and totally speaks for itself.

So, yeah, pretty much the major points of the last 2 months are right here. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.

 

 

 

Mind Venting…

So here are the random thoughts, ideas, and emotions running through my head. 

I think Hillary needs to come to the fact that she lost. Right now she is just making herself look bad by not conceding defeat. I think it’s great that Barack Obama got the nomination. I think it’s a HUGE step in the right direction for this country and for the way we are perceived around the world. Hillary needs to realize what’s best for the country and not draw this out any further and maybe he’ll be less annoyed and consider her for VP.

In a couple of hours it’s going to be 5 days till the 3G iPhone comes out. On the outside, I am calm and collected. On the inside, I can barely contain myself. This is going to be a great product. I admire Steve Jobs. The guy is a business and marketing genius. Apple loves to ride the wave of massive hype all the way to a single moment. And what sets Apple apart from Microsoft, from Dell, from HP, is at the end of it all, whatever they release surpasses the hype that they create. It becomes such a revolutionary product, that it forces the industry to evolve.

My biggest fear in life is not being able to hear God. But I think sometimes, it’s not that God has stopped talking, it’s that I have stopped listening. I have tackled this issue here before, but I think it’s definitely more about being silent. Sometimes, we fill our lives with some many things, we take on so many decisions on our own, thinking we’ll be ok, then one day, when we do need God, we can’t hear Him over all the noise. Trusting God with every facet of your life is SO important. Making a little time to be silent today, will make things clearer for you tomorrow. That being said, trusting God with everything also includes your finances. Since I started working again, I have decided that it’s time my tithe reflected it. So come payday, I will be getting my tithe on.

I think I am over MySpace. I keep it, just basically to say I have it. I don’t get comments on it, I don’t feel like changing the way it looks, and I like to swap the song out once a month. Everyone I know is on Facebook. I like it better actually, it’s more mature. I can see myself being on Facebook forever, I might delete my MySpace after I am 35 or something.

Thats about it…PO!

Amazing Month Prediction

I have a feeling I am gonna have one of those enlightening, life changing weeks this week. First week of June, a week away from the iPhone, birthday coming up. It’s JUNE! Come one the best month ever. It’s the last in the group of three months that you can name a girl and it be socially acceptable (unless you count July as an odd pronunciation of Julie). I saw a DeLorean today on the street, which I mean, come on has to be a sign of something grand coming, right? I am fairly positive a DeLorean sighting has to have the opposite effect of the black cat? I digress. This month WILL be awesome. It will be a month of filled with godliness, Appleness, and umm… birthdayness? So yeah, grammatical butchering aside, it’s gonna rock. Now I promise that you will never see a blog with as much cheesy enthusiasm ever again. PO

Monday, Monday….

Today was my first day back at work. I have adjusted to a normal sleep cycle and now I think my body is actually thanking me for finding something to do. Like my mom says “Playing golf three times a week is no way to spend your summer!” As she is frequently right I decided to listen. So now I am being greatly productive, getting paid, and now life is going great. God’s really watchin’ my back lately. Anyway I am tired times one thousand…so I am out. Peace!

The Quarter Life Crisis has begun…

I was watching a program on the Discovery Channel about time. This physicist said that time is the most profoundly powerful force on the planet. It’s something you can’t fight against, you can stop it from moving forward, and force it to move back. Time influences everything single thing on his planet and influences every decision we make in our lives. The other day I was letting my mind wander a bit, and then something hit me. It was my friend Jordan, he likes to hit me because he says it makes me tougher. Honestly it doesn’t make me anything but bruised. For some reason that hit made me think that my birthday was coming soon. I am going to be 22 years old. Man…I am getting older. I remember being 10 wondering what it was like to be 22 haha. I sure miss being 10. It was socially acceptable to play with G.I. Joes (My G.I. Joe was the man BTW), and TRL actually played music back then too, not just a 1 minute clip of a music video. But you know what, as depressed as I am that life is flying by, I am pretty stoked about what God has in store for the future. Peace…

Quick reminder…

Don’t take a nap at like 2 in the afternoon, cause then you can’t sleep and you end up watching Broken Arrow on Blu Ray. I used to love this movie when I was a kid, but not ehh…not so much. I guess you develop a better taste for things. Then again Broken Arrow was one of those movies you can just sit back and watch. If you start to think about the parts that don’t make sense, you’ll miss the moments that…well ok the entire movie basically makes no sense. 

Sent from Jorge’s iPhone

One Step Back.

I decided to fix things in my life. Get back on track, do what I have been promising myself I would do. It’s nothing dramatic, nothing major. I have noticed that for a while, that I have been basically living my own life. Doing what I want to do, when I want to, thinking that I am the one in control. 

News Flash. I’m not.

Living life with God in the backseat is, without a doubt, a harrowing experience. The scary part is when the voice you hear gets quiet. It happens over time too. Slowly, it gets quieter, and quieter until one day…silence. It so scary knowing that God and I are so far apart. And I know it too. I feel like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, falling right back on me. Everything I do, I say, is not what it should be. The great thing though is, that no matter how many steps you take away from God, it only takes one step to go back. So I am taking that one step back.