I Could Have Another You In A Minute, Matter Fact He'll Be Here In A Minute

My parents have a history of occasionally buying things that some might consider to be white trash-y. For example, hanging on the garage wall is a nice mountain bike...with a lawnmower engine bolted onto the back wheel and a throttle wired to the handlebars. (There used to be two of these 'vehicles'. Still not sure what happened to the first, and don't really care to ask.) If you opened the fridge, you would find several cans of soda...in a 'can caddy' where they roll in a snake fashion so there is always one at the front of the shelf. (And don't be the person who takes the last can without refilling. I assure you, this will not end well for you.)

Through questionable purchases like these, they also uncovered a fantastic device. So fantastic, it's less of a mystery that we have one, than it is that we only have one.
I see no downside to this device. That's not true, I guess if you would remove it if you wanted to have one bathroom that was solely for impressing people. It hangs right where it's needed most and gives you a quick indicator of how things are. Two rolls in the caddy, we're fine. One roll in the caddy, if you remember when you're at the store, pick some up. An empty caddy, you're heading to walmart* once you wash your hands. Even if you just came home from there, you're going back out. (And yes, walmart*, not costco. Some things are worth the splurge. This is at the top of that list.)

The key to this whole system, is that the empty basket means you just put a new roll into the game. You're just out of back-ups. From years of this, I've developed a personal dogma regarding important items: Always have back-ups. Obviously, you can surmise my spending habits on the aforementioned necessity. Everything in my bathroom, I have at least a duplicate of it. This bleeds over to other things. For example, I buy printer cartridges three at a time. Pens by the box. OJ at least two cartons at a time. Casual shoes get purchased two pair at a time so when I get tired of one pair, I can switch back and forth. I own four iPods and often bring two when I go on a trip because you never know when one's going to crap out on you. Same with headphones.

Nothing makes my life easier than knowing that every essential item in my life has at least one substitute waiting to come off the bench. (And essential is definitely subjective. I own two Frank Thomas signed baseballs and used to have three baseball gloves. Yes, they're definitely essential.) It affords me the luxury of avoiding all depletion-related stress events.

Really, the biggest thing for which I don't practice redundancy is girlfriends. And I'm about 99.9% sure that I'm better off for it. For everything else, I strive to always have 'One in the basket'. My favorite example of someone other than me living this principle has to be Mike.

Mike owns a five-disc DVD player. He's had it for a couple years now. I can't remember how many, but I did live with him when it happened, so it's been a while. Soon thereafter, we began watching 'Arrested Development', a top five all-time show (Others on the list: 'Boy Meets World', 'Seinfeld', 'Scrubs', and 'Real World/Road Rules Challenges'). With only two and a half seasons, we made it through the entire series in a little more than a month. The thing is, we never pulled all the discs out. If you open up his DVD tray right now, I can guarantee you that there will be at least one 'Arrested Development' disc in there. Guarantee. Would bet any money, at any odds on this. Ideally, I would want someone to call me, and while talking to me actually walk into his house and ask him to open his DVD player. I don't know how hard I would laugh during this whole scenario, but I do feel that I would need to clear the room of hard objects that I might inadvertently thrash into.

You see, it's always there in case there's nothing else on, or it's late and he just wants to watch something good before bed, or he just finished a movie and don't want to get up and put something else on. He always has 'One in the basket'. (In fact, 'One in the tray' was the third option for the title of this idea. Originally, I called it 'One in the clip', but then felt it didn't work for me personally. I don't even own a gun, much less many guns to necessitate a gun rack.)

I guess, I'm just glad that my life runs markedly smoother because my parents, through their socially questionable purchases, have inspired in me the practice of keeping supplies on hand.

Kudos to them.

Word.

It's Something Unpredictable But In The End It's Right

2010 Resolutions:

• Watch every episode of 'The Jersey Shore' and die laughing (check so far!)
• Consume my weight every month in granola bars
• Eat at every restaurant on this island at least once
• Go to a gym (Not use any of the equipment, of course. More of a recon mission)
• Acquire more t-shirts from random clubs or events
• Be known as the King of something (something cool would be preferred, but beggars can't be choosers)
  

Not a bad list, I would say. You might assume I might not be able to do the second one, thinking that this island has a short supply of them. But you couldn't be more wrong. The Costco-esque store here carries at least three different brands, guaranteeing me enough variety to accomplish the task. Aside from those, I spent the past week or so trying to develop New Year's Resolutions. I honestly did. Here's what I've got:

• Make sure to review every class at least twice a week
• Read the books I have before the end of this semester
• Make better resolutions for next New Year

That's it. And one or more of them might have been made up as I was typing the other(s). Looking back on the past year there have been many things that were great, and some less than great, but I have to say, I don't think I would have changed any decision, even knowing the consequences. This might be the first non-mission year that I can say that without reservation. I don't know if I should feel proud that it is, or sad that the other were not. (Let's not kid ourselves, we both know I'm proud of the current accomplishment. Anything positive, I'm all about.)

Hence, this year, I would say the sky's the limit, but we all know that's false. Let's recap why:

• I live on an island smaller than most cities.
• I have a coursework load that if ever took serious would consume all of my time.
• Although I could have a social life, it wouldn't lead to me finding someone.

So, that does put some parameters on my expectations for this year. Do not worry though. I plan on doing pseudo amazing things. I have no clue what those might be right now, but then again, last January I had no clue I would be going to med school on an island right now. I kind of like living with no clue. It keeps things interesting for me.
Word.

Every Time I Hear That Song

Two years. I've been running this thing for two years. In that time I've thrown up 63 posts, including this one, and had over 3000 page loads. I wish I knew how many words I've written, but that would take a bit of work to add them all up. Can we just say it's a been a lot. A whole lot. Maybe 15% more than it should have been.

I've held contests, ranked movie stars, made playlists, and discussed the finer points of reality tv shows (oh and I love Jersey Show. No one was happier than me that the Championship game was lackluster because it enabled me to watch the new episode of Jersey Shore. Just train wreck after train wreck after train wreck. I will say this though, I am shocked at the low amount of sex occurring on this show, or at least being shown on this show. Think about it. Excluding Ronnie and Sammie [so boring to watch together, but love to see them fight], no one really has gotten significant action. The Situation has gotten close, but that's about it. Amazing). There have been tributes to former sports stars, past prophets and various food items. Theories have been conjectured, contorted and proved contrary to the truth. But it's all been a blast. And for the handful of you who have been with me from the beginning, thank you for enjoying the ride. The bulk who have picked it up mid-trip have been a great addition, and I hopefully, maybe some other people will start reading/enjoying/commenting on the nuggets thrown out here.

So here's what I'm doing on this one. I'm picking the top 6 (why six you ask? Because top five lists are for cowards) along with some post-posting commentary. Only reading comments from everyone else brings me more joy than going back and reading my older posts, so I have to figure that if I enjoy it, surely others will enjoy it.

6.You're my only reason, you're my only truth- This is one of those that the title can throw you off because of it's romantic overtones. However, the romance is definitely there between me and the great game of baseball. I'm including it because it I feel the writing is succinct and pointed, but also because it takes me right back to the ballpark, the only place I feel completely comfortable in this world. When I finish re-reading it, I always feel like it's spring, despite what season or weather may be outside, and anything that makes me remember the smell of clay, leather and wood, has to be a good thing.

5. And she can transform Just a fun one to read and laugh about. Had to include it in the list. If you don't get a kick out of this one, then either you missed out on Saved By the Bell, or you need to take some prozac.

4. You've been stretched to the limit Easily the most poignant. It was just after President Hinckley passed. He was the prophet of our generation. I mean, I remember President Hunter, but only slightly. And I knew that there was a President Benson, but can't picture him in motion at all. When he passed, it was like realizing that Santa wasn't real. Everything you knew had just changed and you weren't quite sure how to take it. After some thought, this was how I felt about it all, and I'm glad I put it down somewhere.

3. I've been waiting Ask me how much fun I had with that one. Certainly the easiest one to put up because I already had all the material ready for it. Plus, it was such a dramatic moment, that you don't forget where you were, and it's interesting to see exactly what was on your mind minute to minute. It's the best glimpse into "how does Rick really think/act when he's at ease". And that's it. It was a two hour facebook conversation that was too good not to share.

2. It's amazing, I'm the reason One that could have been a two-parter, but for reasons unknown, was merged into one. What I love about it? First and foremost, the ranking of actors/actresses into four categories. Now, whenever I see a movie trailer, I immediately scan to see who the actors and judge accordingly. I can't tell you how much time and thought this saves me. Also, it puts me on record as being one of the first to state that Tiger will not eclipse Jack's record. I think this next season will be extremely foretelling of veracity of that claim. He could come back and light the tour on fire and win the next four in a row. But I think there is just as big a chance that he comes back and the demons get to him. A month or so ago, Mike asked me if I would root for him when he came back. I still don't know.

1. He doesn't look a thing like Jesus Of all the posts, this one is the one that makes me the most proud. It combines everything I like to read in other people's posts into one post. It has a good hook, a slice of humor, a tinge of personal insight, and a dose of relationship theorizing. Absolutely love it. It does depress me that what I feel was my best was written at the beginning, as thought I haven't progressed in this medium.

I plan on putting up a New Year's Resolution one next week, but we'll see if I can find that many areas to improve. You have to remember, I live in an area where there is no dating, minimal social life, and only one task to focus on. It's not like there's a plethora of new things to learn.
Word.

If You Ain't Been A Part Of It, At Least You Got To Witness

I feel like I'm stomping on my posts. Normally, I would put a new one up every two weeks or so. But for whatever reason, This will be the fourth in the last week. Insane output. Then again, when you have two flights over 5 hours apiece, and with Wi-Fi on the plane, it isn't too hard to figure out where I found the time to knock them all out. You give me a computer and five uninterrupted hours, like a seven figure contract from the Yankees, a new post will magically appear.

You see, I have to always be doing something. It's a blessing and a curse. For example: I grew up living no further than 6 minutes from the beach at any time in my life after the age of 3. Ask me how many times I went to the beach to lay out? Ask me how many times I went to the beach without bringing a board of some sorts? Zero. When I go somewhere, I plan on doing something, and the more athletic/competitive the better. This will partially explain why I am almost always not tan, despite the fact that out of the 52 weeks in a year, I spend 48 weeks on a tropical island and at least two weeks in Florida. I can't stand just laying still for that long, without falling asleep. (And I'm not going to fall asleep at a beach again. I got lucky the one time it did happen. Walking away from that table while I'm ahead.)

So, when I come home for Christmas, and have nothing to study, and no job to work, I start thinking of things to do. Maybe it's just me, but I enjoy making projects for myself to do and seeing how they turn out. It keeps me busy and feeds my sense of accomplishment. As a side bonus, by keeping me busy doing something, it keeps me away from spending money on things I don't necessarily need. (Like the 20+ DVD's I bought over the break. That doesn't include the ones I got as gifts. This is what happens when the local Blockbuster closes and all their inventory is $5 or less. I buy movies simply to have them. The Soloist. Hackers. Reality Bites. Yeah, they're all on the shelf now. It's a little embarrassing sometimes.)

This time, however, I actually had been working on a plan for a couple weeks. To further commemorate my White Sox 2005 World Series Title, I have begun collecting baseballs from that series, signed by all 25 members of the team, and Ozzie. It has taken me a while to track down the 15 I already have. Some of the players will be excruciating to track down. Luckily, I have already been able to pick up most of the back-ups at reasonable prices and a couple of the stars at below average. This might take me years to complete, but it gives me focus on my leisure spending, which I need.

This leisure spending has given me a new problem. These 15 baseballs needed a home. I can't just line them up on the window sill. That would be an insult to the baseballs and to the team. So I built this during the first week I was back.

I know. Pretty fancy, huh. The glare is coming off the piece of plexiglass that I fit into the front of the case. It slides out so I can add new balls when I find them. Or straighten that one out on the third row. I bought a WS Champion patch off eBay and it'll be going in the center compartment behind the mini-trophy. A shrine truly fit to commemorate world domination.

Also, I 'finished' a project that I started about six months ago. In my life, I've attended a lot of sporting events. No really. Between collegiate and professional matches, pre-season, regular season and post-season, I've probably been to over 300 sporting events. And that's a low estimate. A while back I starting making a conscious effort to save the ticket stub. I would put it in my wallet, and whenever I was bored or feeling a little down, I could go to them and remember the good times. I would pull out the one from Yankee stadium, and remember watching Jeter and A-Rod take at-bats, or hear Rivera come out of the bullpen. I would look at the Twins game where Santana dazzled the opposition and the crowd. The Cubs spring training stub, where I got to see the great Leon Johnson before he made it big. (What do you miss most about him?)

Unfortunately, the stack began to be thicker then the rest of the wallet, so I had to take them all out. (As luck would have it, I lost that wallet not even a month after I pulled them out. I would have been catatonic if I had lost them. I could have cared less about the wallet, but those are things I can't replace.) For a while I wondered what I could do with them.
Then I remembered my roommate from Arizona. Cool guy. Not into sports really at all, but the man was deep into the music scene. He had been to more concerts than he can remember. So what he did with his ticket stubs was ingenious. And I copied him.

It hangs over my bed now. It contains tickets from games as far back as 1998 and as current as last week. And I love it.
Word.

This Whole Situation Is Incredibly Typical, I Should Have Seen It All Along

Flying back to Florida right now. Delta is treating me right. Wireless Internet and directv in the headrests. Not bad flying accommodations. Only two regrets: 1, That I didn't charge the battery all the way, and 2, That the tv doesn't carry fox so I can't watch the sugar bowl. Basically, I watch the scroll on espn waiting for updates. It's not too bad, but I still have no clue how Florida botched the extra point after the first touchdown.
Looking back on the trip and it can only be described as successful. Truth be told, I have been thinking about whether or not I could make living in Utah a permanent thing. Mostly, it was to gauge my thoughts on cold weather climates. I grew up in an always warm region, and never experienced the cold until college. A backlash was inevitable. That, and no one likes having to walk through snow.
However, living in the climate challenged St. Maarten, I learned I wanted some seasonality in my life. The question was how much could I handle. First couple days did not buttress Utah's case. The last couple days more than made up for it though. The biggest difference was simply the sky. I couldn't stand it when the snow was coming down or when the clouds seemed to be really low. Made everything seem dreary. I don't do dreary. Once the skies cleared, 30' didn't feel so bad. The ice wasn't out to get me. It was a different world.
I'm sold. Of course, that doesn't matter much because I won't have an opportunity to freely relocate for another four years. But after that, I might have to point my wagon to the west and set up shop in the Rockies. Yes, it will still be cold, and yes, I will complain every year about it, but it's better than senses dulling monotony.
Do I even need to expound on the relative dating situations? No. I don't.
Since we're on the subject though, let's talk about dating. More specifically, let's talk about m
Mike's current issues with dating. Why Mike, you ask? Several reasons. First, because he has a situation and I don't have anything close to one. Second, I feel his plight is worth talking about. For the little tykes (Carder I'm looking at you) ear muffs. I'm not going to get crazy, but the term douchebag and it's various conjugations, will be heavily featured.
Why do so many girls knowingly date douchebags? Can anyone explain this? I understand the initial attraction of the rebel or dangerous guy. I get that. Heck, I try to use it in small doses. (Don't crucify me. We all know I can't sustain it beyond ten minutes, and it's pretty mild anyway.) What boggles the mind is why the girls stay with them, even after it is evident that the douchebaggery is never leaving. You want to know what you will never ever ever ever see? A guy sticking with a douchebaggy girl for more than three weeks. Won't see it. Ever. Ever. No, never.
Why? Good guys realize that a character trait that ingrained may attract your attention, but will never sustain your affection. And they cut bait. (It also should be noted that for girls, douchebaggery and craziness are synonyms. A guy will put up with some crazy at the beginning if he thinks it will quickly abate. If I doesn't, it's on to the next one.)
But that's the difference. Girls will stick with the dbag long after it's clear that it will never clear his system. And this is what leaves guys like Mike, and myself from time to time, in a fix. Too many good girls who think either that they can change the dbag, or worse, that they don't deserve any better. The second one, frankly, troubles my soul.
The first one irritates my reason like having peanut butter and jelly but no bread. It just makes zero sense.
And yet, it is a scene played out over and over in the courting community. As long as there are douche's and good guys in the same area, there always seems to be a quality girl making an absurd decision to go for the former even though she knows she should go for the latter. Ridiculous.
Word.
(Odds Mike reads this: 9 to 2 against. He would have to find it first.)