Friday, February 29, 2008
Celebrity Leap Day Birthdays
Happy Leap Day! I saw this story on msn.com and found it pretty interesting. It tells all the celebrities with leap day birthdays. They include: Self Guru Tony Robbins, Musician Ja Rule, NHL Goalie Cam Ward, Soap Star Antonia Sabato Jr., Congressman Bart Stupak, and others. I thought it was pretty interesting. For the full story go here -> http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=303294
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Secret AGENT Man!
In January of this year, I sent off my manuscript to a publisher. Their website said that it would take 2 to 6 months to get back to me. Being impatient, I have wanted to send my manuscript to other publishers as well, but the publishers I chose do not accept manuscripts that have already been submitted to other publishers. Very frustrating!
There are also numerous publishers that I did not even consider because they do not accept manuscripts that aren't submitted by an agent. So, I sent out some letters to agents. That's right: I am officially in the market for a literary agent!
I made a real New Years resolution this year and it was not to lose weight. It was to get my book published. I really feel that if I can secure a spot with an agent, especially one who works off of 100% commission, then they will work twice as hard to help me get published.
Anyway, this is exciting news and yet another step in my journey as a writer, so I felt compelled to share it with you. I am feeling very confident that getting published is going to happen for me very soon. I just hope that my intuition is right!
There are also numerous publishers that I did not even consider because they do not accept manuscripts that aren't submitted by an agent. So, I sent out some letters to agents. That's right: I am officially in the market for a literary agent!
I made a real New Years resolution this year and it was not to lose weight. It was to get my book published. I really feel that if I can secure a spot with an agent, especially one who works off of 100% commission, then they will work twice as hard to help me get published.
Anyway, this is exciting news and yet another step in my journey as a writer, so I felt compelled to share it with you. I am feeling very confident that getting published is going to happen for me very soon. I just hope that my intuition is right!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Episode 5: Tough Decision
Have you ever had a dream about someone that was so intense that it actually gave you feelings for that person? That is exactly what happened to me. It is funny, though, because I thought I was over Stacy, but I guess my subconscious had other ideas. So, just like that, my feelings for Stacy are back. I cannot just ignore my newfound old feelings and pretend that they do not exist.
So, now what?
It was Saturday morning around eleven o’clock, when Joel was awakened by a pounding at his door. He was still slumped down on his couch, sitting in the same spot where he had his dream the previous night. The last thing he remembered before finally drifting off to sleep was looking at the clock, which read 7:38.
He quickly sprung up off of his couch as the loud pounding came again, which came with Joel’s cell phone receiving a text message, immediately followed by a phone call. Joel looked at the screen of his phone to see the name John.
“I’m coming!” he shouted, trotting toward the door.
“Hurry up!” yelled John. “I have to use the bathroom!”
Joel unlocked the deadbolt and was about to turn the knob, when John burst through the door, almost hitting Joel in the process, and ran down the short hallway to the bathroom. Joel simply shook his head as he shuffled into the kitchen where he reached into a cabinet and pulled out a box of Lucky Charms.
Joel proceeded to pour the cereal into a bowl, followed by pouring milk onto the cereal, and adding a spoon. He turned to put the milk up just as John came out of the bathroom.
“Thanks man,” said John, taking the cereal off of the counter.
“Dude, bring me back my Lucky Charms before something bad happens to you,” said Joel, going after John. “I am running on about three and a half hours of sleep and I am not in the mood.”
“But they are magically delicious!” said John, sitting on the couch and turning on the television.
“Then make your own bowl,” said Joel, taking the bowl out of John’s left hand and the cereal-filled spoon out of his right hand just as he was about to insert it into his mouth.
“Oh, come on!” yelled John. He then noticed that Joel was not laughing along with him. “What is wrong with you?”
“Rough night,” answered Joel, taking his first bite of his cereal.
“What happened?” asked John.
Right as Joel was about to answer, John’s tone signifying that he had received a text message went off. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” he said
As Joel proceeded to tell John about the dream and the resurfacing of his feelings for Stacy, John completely ignored him as he continued to text. Finally, Joel noticed and asked, “Are you even listening?”
“No,” answered John. “Sorry, I’m not.”
“Ok,” said Joel. “I’m officially done talking to you now.”
“Uh huh,” replied John. “Then what happened?”
“You can stop pretending to listen now,” said Joel, snidely cutting his eyes over toward John, then returning his gaze to his cereal.
“Sweet,” responded John, returning to his text messaging.
So John and I sat there in silence as we watched TV for about an hour or two. Well, I watched TV while he continued to text Tiffany. Actually, I spent most of my time wracking my brain to try and figure out what to do. Obviously, it is not fair to Katie if I still have feelings for Stacy, but I really like Katie. It would be nice to talk to someone about it, but Captain Text Message can’t talk to anyone but his girlfriend.
Finally, around two o’clock, John suggested that we get something to eat, so we ordered a pizza. Then, out of nowhere, he actually did and said something that shocked me.
“Alright,” said John, turning off his cell phone, “I am tired of seeing you mope. What is going on?”
Joel looked at John, a surprised expression shaped his face. “I don’t think I have ever seen you turn that thing off,” he said, motioning toward John’s phone.
“Dude, despite what I say,” responded John. “I do care. Now, what is going on?”
And that is why John and I are best friends. When it comes down to it, he does actually care. So, I explained to him everything that had happened the previous night, but it dumbfounded him as much as it did me. We threw out some possible solutions, some we weighed more heavily than others, but in the end we passed on all of them.
“I think that I finally figured out what you need to do,” said John.
“What is that?”
“Go out and have a few drinks.”
Joel paused for a moment, then nodded. “That is the best idea you have come up with so far,” he said.
“Sweet, let’s do it,” responded John, standing up. “I’m going to go get ready.”
After we got ready, I called Jack, who decided to join us on the condition that Dustin could come as well. It had been over a month since the incident and I had all but let it go, so it was not a problem for me that he came. I would hang out with him, but that did not mean that I trusted him. Maybe it was just me, but I felt that I had a good reason to be wary.
When Jack and Dustin arrived, we headed down to, where else, but Stratler’s before we went downtown. I still had not heard from Katie, who, apparently, was still mad. Brian, Lauren, and Tiffany met us at Stratler’s. Stacy had called, but her and Ron decided to meet us out, so, minus Katie, the entire crew would be accounted for.
As the night wore on, the seven friends eventually left Stratler’s for downtown Charlotte. Once downtown, they met up with Stacy and Ron, but did not stay in any one bar for more than an hour or so, before leaving for a new one. In that particular part of town, there were as many as ten bars in a half mile area, resulting in the urge to visit each one in the same night.
Joel seemed distant as he was obviously preoccupied with the previous night’s events. He had surrendered his cell phone to John so that he would not call Katie after he had been drinking. At the fourth bar they visited on that night, Joel began to want to call Katie.
“Give me my phone,” said Joel.
“Nope,” responded John.
“Come on, John,” pleaded Joel. “I just want to check my messages. I won’t call her.”
“Yes you will.”
“Just give me my phone,” demanded Joel.
“Nope.”
The exchange went on for a while before Joel finally stopped pestering John for his phone. That was not the end of it, however, as Joel started up a while later after having a few more drinks. John finally relinquished Joel’s cell phone, after ten minutes of Joel harassing him.
Joel immediately exited the bar and paced up and down the sidewalk as he attempted to call Katie. After no answer, Joel declined to leave a message and returned to his friends.
“Did you talk to her?” asked Jack, waiting for Joel inside the bar.
“Nope,” answered Joel.
“What set her off last night?” asked Brian.
“I couldn’t tell ya,” replied Joel, shaking his head.
To this day, I still had no clue what had gotten into Katie. I know what I said to her after she got mad was not the best thing to say at the moment, but she was mad in the first place. I continued to mull over the situation until I got a terrible headache. It was tough, but I finally came to a decision.
Joel said his farewells to his friends and exited the bar they were currently at. While hailing a cab he once again attempted to call Katie. This time, Joel finally got through as Katie actually decided to answer the phone.
Sitting in the back of the cab, Joel said, “I am coming over. We need to talk.”
So, now what?
It was Saturday morning around eleven o’clock, when Joel was awakened by a pounding at his door. He was still slumped down on his couch, sitting in the same spot where he had his dream the previous night. The last thing he remembered before finally drifting off to sleep was looking at the clock, which read 7:38.
He quickly sprung up off of his couch as the loud pounding came again, which came with Joel’s cell phone receiving a text message, immediately followed by a phone call. Joel looked at the screen of his phone to see the name John.
“I’m coming!” he shouted, trotting toward the door.
“Hurry up!” yelled John. “I have to use the bathroom!”
Joel unlocked the deadbolt and was about to turn the knob, when John burst through the door, almost hitting Joel in the process, and ran down the short hallway to the bathroom. Joel simply shook his head as he shuffled into the kitchen where he reached into a cabinet and pulled out a box of Lucky Charms.
Joel proceeded to pour the cereal into a bowl, followed by pouring milk onto the cereal, and adding a spoon. He turned to put the milk up just as John came out of the bathroom.
“Thanks man,” said John, taking the cereal off of the counter.
“Dude, bring me back my Lucky Charms before something bad happens to you,” said Joel, going after John. “I am running on about three and a half hours of sleep and I am not in the mood.”
“But they are magically delicious!” said John, sitting on the couch and turning on the television.
“Then make your own bowl,” said Joel, taking the bowl out of John’s left hand and the cereal-filled spoon out of his right hand just as he was about to insert it into his mouth.
“Oh, come on!” yelled John. He then noticed that Joel was not laughing along with him. “What is wrong with you?”
“Rough night,” answered Joel, taking his first bite of his cereal.
“What happened?” asked John.
Right as Joel was about to answer, John’s tone signifying that he had received a text message went off. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” he said
As Joel proceeded to tell John about the dream and the resurfacing of his feelings for Stacy, John completely ignored him as he continued to text. Finally, Joel noticed and asked, “Are you even listening?”
“No,” answered John. “Sorry, I’m not.”
“Ok,” said Joel. “I’m officially done talking to you now.”
“Uh huh,” replied John. “Then what happened?”
“You can stop pretending to listen now,” said Joel, snidely cutting his eyes over toward John, then returning his gaze to his cereal.
“Sweet,” responded John, returning to his text messaging.
So John and I sat there in silence as we watched TV for about an hour or two. Well, I watched TV while he continued to text Tiffany. Actually, I spent most of my time wracking my brain to try and figure out what to do. Obviously, it is not fair to Katie if I still have feelings for Stacy, but I really like Katie. It would be nice to talk to someone about it, but Captain Text Message can’t talk to anyone but his girlfriend.
Finally, around two o’clock, John suggested that we get something to eat, so we ordered a pizza. Then, out of nowhere, he actually did and said something that shocked me.
“Alright,” said John, turning off his cell phone, “I am tired of seeing you mope. What is going on?”
Joel looked at John, a surprised expression shaped his face. “I don’t think I have ever seen you turn that thing off,” he said, motioning toward John’s phone.
“Dude, despite what I say,” responded John. “I do care. Now, what is going on?”
And that is why John and I are best friends. When it comes down to it, he does actually care. So, I explained to him everything that had happened the previous night, but it dumbfounded him as much as it did me. We threw out some possible solutions, some we weighed more heavily than others, but in the end we passed on all of them.
“I think that I finally figured out what you need to do,” said John.
“What is that?”
“Go out and have a few drinks.”
Joel paused for a moment, then nodded. “That is the best idea you have come up with so far,” he said.
“Sweet, let’s do it,” responded John, standing up. “I’m going to go get ready.”
After we got ready, I called Jack, who decided to join us on the condition that Dustin could come as well. It had been over a month since the incident and I had all but let it go, so it was not a problem for me that he came. I would hang out with him, but that did not mean that I trusted him. Maybe it was just me, but I felt that I had a good reason to be wary.
When Jack and Dustin arrived, we headed down to, where else, but Stratler’s before we went downtown. I still had not heard from Katie, who, apparently, was still mad. Brian, Lauren, and Tiffany met us at Stratler’s. Stacy had called, but her and Ron decided to meet us out, so, minus Katie, the entire crew would be accounted for.
As the night wore on, the seven friends eventually left Stratler’s for downtown Charlotte. Once downtown, they met up with Stacy and Ron, but did not stay in any one bar for more than an hour or so, before leaving for a new one. In that particular part of town, there were as many as ten bars in a half mile area, resulting in the urge to visit each one in the same night.
Joel seemed distant as he was obviously preoccupied with the previous night’s events. He had surrendered his cell phone to John so that he would not call Katie after he had been drinking. At the fourth bar they visited on that night, Joel began to want to call Katie.
“Give me my phone,” said Joel.
“Nope,” responded John.
“Come on, John,” pleaded Joel. “I just want to check my messages. I won’t call her.”
“Yes you will.”
“Just give me my phone,” demanded Joel.
“Nope.”
The exchange went on for a while before Joel finally stopped pestering John for his phone. That was not the end of it, however, as Joel started up a while later after having a few more drinks. John finally relinquished Joel’s cell phone, after ten minutes of Joel harassing him.
Joel immediately exited the bar and paced up and down the sidewalk as he attempted to call Katie. After no answer, Joel declined to leave a message and returned to his friends.
“Did you talk to her?” asked Jack, waiting for Joel inside the bar.
“Nope,” answered Joel.
“What set her off last night?” asked Brian.
“I couldn’t tell ya,” replied Joel, shaking his head.
To this day, I still had no clue what had gotten into Katie. I know what I said to her after she got mad was not the best thing to say at the moment, but she was mad in the first place. I continued to mull over the situation until I got a terrible headache. It was tough, but I finally came to a decision.
Joel said his farewells to his friends and exited the bar they were currently at. While hailing a cab he once again attempted to call Katie. This time, Joel finally got through as Katie actually decided to answer the phone.
Sitting in the back of the cab, Joel said, “I am coming over. We need to talk.”
Friday, February 22, 2008
90 Minutes in Heaven
I just started reading a book called, "90 Minutes in Heaven," which is about a man named, Don Piper, who was in a terrible car accident and was actually pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics arrived minutes later. When Don died, he went to heaven and in his book he describes what he saw.
Meanwhile back at the crash site, a minister was told by God to get in the car and pray for Piper, who was badly mangled as a result of being hit head on. The minister crawled into the compacted car and sat behind Piper, the only part of the car he could fit in, praying and singing hymns. An hour and a half after Piper was pronounced dead, he began singing with the minister. Minutes later, he was rushed to the hospital and eventually lived to tell about it.
As a religious person, I have goosebumps just writing about it. I am only a few chapters in, but I am already finding the book very powerful. I recommend it for religious people as well as skeptics. I am sure that the more I read it, the more I will have to say about it. Until next time...
Meanwhile back at the crash site, a minister was told by God to get in the car and pray for Piper, who was badly mangled as a result of being hit head on. The minister crawled into the compacted car and sat behind Piper, the only part of the car he could fit in, praying and singing hymns. An hour and a half after Piper was pronounced dead, he began singing with the minister. Minutes later, he was rushed to the hospital and eventually lived to tell about it.
As a religious person, I have goosebumps just writing about it. I am only a few chapters in, but I am already finding the book very powerful. I recommend it for religious people as well as skeptics. I am sure that the more I read it, the more I will have to say about it. Until next time...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Come Clean Tejada
Miguel Tejada arrived in Houston Atsros camp today and when asked about steroids, he refused to answer. As history will tell us, that is not a good course to take. It is not as bad as lying about it, but silence is not the way to go.
Jason Giambi is the perfect example. If you remember, Giambi was involved in the Balco scandal along with Barry Bonds. Right now, many of you are probably saying, "Oh yeah, he was involved in that."
Does Giambi go through the media circus that Bonds is going through? Is he being charged with perjury? The answer to both off those questions is no.
Why is that?
Because he came clean. He came out with it and confessed and now you never hear anything about him being linked to Balco.
Andy Pettitte has recently done the same thing that Giambi did and I believe that after a year or two, as in Giambi's case, it will be forgotten about. I am in no way condoning the fact that the two of them used performance enhancers, but they took the smart path. They did not lie and in Giambi's case, people have all but forgotten about it.
Now, back to Tejada.
If he does not confront the allegations and the press head on, the steroid accusations will follow him around for the remainder of his career. So the best thing that Tejada can do is take a page out of Giambi and Pettitte's play book and just come clean.
Jason Giambi is the perfect example. If you remember, Giambi was involved in the Balco scandal along with Barry Bonds. Right now, many of you are probably saying, "Oh yeah, he was involved in that."
Does Giambi go through the media circus that Bonds is going through? Is he being charged with perjury? The answer to both off those questions is no.
Why is that?
Because he came clean. He came out with it and confessed and now you never hear anything about him being linked to Balco.
Andy Pettitte has recently done the same thing that Giambi did and I believe that after a year or two, as in Giambi's case, it will be forgotten about. I am in no way condoning the fact that the two of them used performance enhancers, but they took the smart path. They did not lie and in Giambi's case, people have all but forgotten about it.
Now, back to Tejada.
If he does not confront the allegations and the press head on, the steroid accusations will follow him around for the remainder of his career. So the best thing that Tejada can do is take a page out of Giambi and Pettitte's play book and just come clean.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Thank You
I have been getting a lot of emails lately with a lot of positive feedback about my blog and my written series "Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness." I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has sent me these positive emails. Honestly, sometimes those emails are what keeps me going. Thanks!
Episode 4: Girl of My Dreams
Over the next few weeks, I tried to steer clear of Dustin. Our relationship had become strained since the incident. When we did happen to be in the same room, we exchanged pleasantries, but nothing more. He refused to apologize according to Jack who apparently tried to get him to do so. Also, Jack told me that Dustin still did not think that he had done anything wrong. Other than that, everything was still going great.
John and Tiffany were still seeing each other which meant that I had a roommate every weekend and sometimes once during the week when he came into town. I did not mind though; John was always welcome to crash at my place. My relationship with Katie seemed to get more serious with each passing day. The new relationship excitement had worn off, but other than that, I was still crazy about her.
It was Friday night at ten after nine when Joel, Katie, John, Tiffany, Brian, and Lauren exited the movie theater, heading toward their cars in the parking lot.
“That was a good movie,” said Lauren.
“Yeah,” said Katie. “I really liked it.”
“Does anyone want to call Jack and see where he and Dustin are?” asked Brian.
Jack and Dustin had been going out without the rest of us lately seeing as how they were single and the rest of us were not. The rift between Dustin and myself played a little part in that too.
“I think we will pass on that,” answered Joel, referring to Katie and himself.
“Oh yeah,” said Brian. “I forgot about that. He has been getting on my nerves more and more as of late too. I guess the only reason I haven’t said anything to him is because I have to live with him.”
“Fair enough,” responded John.
When the six of them had reached their cars, Joel, Katie, John, and Tiffany stopped by Joel’s Charger and Brian and Lauren stopped beside Brian’s Mustang to discuss their plans for the rest of the evening.
“What is everyone going to do?” asked Brian.
“I was wanting to go downtown,” answered Lauren.
“I am kind of hungry,” said Tiffany.
“As usual,” said John, who immediately turned and moved away from Tiffany to try and dodge her slap, however, she caught him in the middle of his back. The result was a loud thud. John just laughed as he shuffled away from Tiffany to avoid another hit.
“Me too,” said Joel, looking back over at Brian and Lauren. “You guys interested?”
Brian shook his head. “I think we are going to head downtown, but I don’t want you guys to think that we are blowing you off to hang out with Dustin or anything.”
“It’s cool,” said Joel. “We don’t think that at all.”
“Ok, good,” said Lauren.
And with that, Brian and Lauren said their goodbyes and left in Brian’s Mustang.
“Stratler’s?” asked John, looking around at his three companions.
Everyone nodded in approval of the question and piled into Joel’s Charger. Turning out of the movie theater parking lot, they drove off in the opposite direction of Brian and Lauren. The theater was not far from Stratler’s as it took them only five minutes to arrive at the bar.
Everything was going fine while we ate, but near the end of our meal, things took a weird twist. It came out of nowhere and hit me like a ton of bricks. Actually, I’m still not sure what got into Katie.
“-so needless to say, Stacy and I were pretty embarrassed,” said Joel with a laugh, but quickly noticed that Katie was not laughing along with everyone else.
“What is wrong?” asked Joel.
“Nothing,” replied Katie.
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
“Do you have feelings for Stacy?” asked Katie bluntly, catching Joel off guard.
John’s eyes got wide as he turned and look at Joel.
“No,” answered Joel... At least not anymore I don’t.
“Well the way you talk about her says otherwise,” retorted Katie.
“I have known her since elementary school,” said Joel. “She is my best friend. Of course I talk about her like I am fond of her.”
“You always have to be a smartass, don’t you?” asked Katie angrily.
“I’m not being a smartass, Katie,” replied Joel. “What is wrong with you? Why are you acting crazy?” And that was definitely not the right thing to say at that point, not by a long shot.
Katie stood and grabbed her coat, threw it over her arm, and said, “I am leaving.”
“Come on, Katie,” said Joel. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Well, it sure sounded like you did,” said Katie, making a move for the door.
“How are you going to get home?” asked Joel.
“I’ll take a cab,” said Katie as she stormed out of Stratler’s.
Joel immediately stood and followed her out of the bar and down the street. “Katie, wait a minute,” he said, trying to catch up to her.
Katie stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and leaned forward with an arm stretched out as a cab rode by. The cab did not stop, giving Joel time to catch up to her.
“Will you just wait a minute?” asked Joel.
“No, Joel. I am going home,” replied Katie, continuing to try and hail a cab. Finally, she was able to successfully call attention to one, which pulled over in front of her.
“Katie,” asked Joel, “can’t we talk about this?”
“Just go back inside and reminisce about Stacy,” said Katie. “That is obviously what you want to do, isn’t it?”
Joel looked around as he shook his head, obviously irritated by Katie’s remark. “Whatever,” he said, giving up on stating his case. “Just go.”
And with that, Katie got in the cab. Joel stood there, watching it drive away and when it was out of sight, he turned and walked back to Stratler’s where he returned to the table where John and Tiffany awaited.
“No luck?” asked John.
Joel shook his head. “Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yeah,” said John, nodding.
When we left Stratler’s, I took John and Tiffany back to her apartment and dropped them off. After refusing a request to watch a movie, I headed home. I tried calling Katie, but I was unsuccessful. What set her off like that? I know I should not have said she was acting crazy, but she was mad before that. The more I think I understand women, the more it is apparent that I do not.
I was not tired when I got home so I retrieved a beer from the fridge and popped in one of my favorite DVD’s. I could barely focus on the movie as I sat there trying to figure out what I had done to make Katie so mad, but the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became with the whole situation.
Eventually, I started to nod off to sleep while laying on my couch, watching the movie I had picked out. It was almost two in the morning when someone knocked on my door. I was startled as I sat up, wondering who it could be. John was staying at Tiffany’s, so I knew that it was not him.
After unlocking the deadbolt, Joel turned the knob and pulled the door open. Much to his bewilderment, Stacy stood in front of him.
“Stacy?” he asked, confused as to why she was knocking on his door at two in the morning.
“Hey Joel,” replied Stacy. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” said Joel, sliding to his left to let Stacy enter his apartment. What could she be doing here so late?
When Stacy had entered the apartment and Joel had closed the door behind her, Stacy turned to face Joel. “There is something I need to tell you, Joel,” she said, taking a step toward him. She looked up into Joel’s eyes; her own eyes were filled with passion. I almost forgot how beautiful those eyes were.
All of Joel’s feelings for Stacy were beginning to resurface. It was as if they were a freight train and he could hear them barreling toward him. Before he could say anything, Stacy pressed her lips against his and kissed him. Joel’s eyes closed immediately as his emotions surged through him. I cannot believe that this is actually happening!
When Stacy finally relinquished the kiss, she slowly moved her head beside Joel’s and whispered, “I love you,” in his ear.
Joel’s heart leapt as he heard the words. He smiled from ear to ear as he said, “I love you too, Stacy. “I always have.” Finally! I don’t have to hide it anymore, and what’s even better is that she feels the same way! Is this real?
The rest of the night was a blur as we sat on the couch entwined in each other’s arms, watching movies. It was perfect.
As the night wore on, Joel and Stacy eventually began to grow tired. Stacy fell asleep first, resting her head on Joel’s shoulder and soon after he began to doze off as well. His eyes slid shut as his head fell forward. He jerked his head back up as his eyes shot open. For some odd reason, he felt as if he did not want to fall asleep. The last thing he remembered was looking at the digital clock on his cable box, which read 5:48, before he finally succumbed to sleep.
After what seemed like only moments, Joel opened his eyes to find himself laying on his couch alone. He looked around his living room, but Stacy was nowhere to be found. He got up and walked into his bedroom, but she was not in there either. The bathroom door was open as it was empty. Confused, Joel returned to his living room and examined the front door. The deadbolt was locked.
Joel ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at the deadbolt. “It can only be locked from the inside,” he muttered to himself.
Joel walked back over to his couch and sat down. After a brief moment of pondering, it finally hit him. He looked at the clock again, which read 3:04. Joel slumped down on his couch and stared blankly at the floor. One thought echoed in his head as he sat there, heartbroken.
It was a dream.
John and Tiffany were still seeing each other which meant that I had a roommate every weekend and sometimes once during the week when he came into town. I did not mind though; John was always welcome to crash at my place. My relationship with Katie seemed to get more serious with each passing day. The new relationship excitement had worn off, but other than that, I was still crazy about her.
It was Friday night at ten after nine when Joel, Katie, John, Tiffany, Brian, and Lauren exited the movie theater, heading toward their cars in the parking lot.
“That was a good movie,” said Lauren.
“Yeah,” said Katie. “I really liked it.”
“Does anyone want to call Jack and see where he and Dustin are?” asked Brian.
Jack and Dustin had been going out without the rest of us lately seeing as how they were single and the rest of us were not. The rift between Dustin and myself played a little part in that too.
“I think we will pass on that,” answered Joel, referring to Katie and himself.
“Oh yeah,” said Brian. “I forgot about that. He has been getting on my nerves more and more as of late too. I guess the only reason I haven’t said anything to him is because I have to live with him.”
“Fair enough,” responded John.
When the six of them had reached their cars, Joel, Katie, John, and Tiffany stopped by Joel’s Charger and Brian and Lauren stopped beside Brian’s Mustang to discuss their plans for the rest of the evening.
“What is everyone going to do?” asked Brian.
“I was wanting to go downtown,” answered Lauren.
“I am kind of hungry,” said Tiffany.
“As usual,” said John, who immediately turned and moved away from Tiffany to try and dodge her slap, however, she caught him in the middle of his back. The result was a loud thud. John just laughed as he shuffled away from Tiffany to avoid another hit.
“Me too,” said Joel, looking back over at Brian and Lauren. “You guys interested?”
Brian shook his head. “I think we are going to head downtown, but I don’t want you guys to think that we are blowing you off to hang out with Dustin or anything.”
“It’s cool,” said Joel. “We don’t think that at all.”
“Ok, good,” said Lauren.
And with that, Brian and Lauren said their goodbyes and left in Brian’s Mustang.
“Stratler’s?” asked John, looking around at his three companions.
Everyone nodded in approval of the question and piled into Joel’s Charger. Turning out of the movie theater parking lot, they drove off in the opposite direction of Brian and Lauren. The theater was not far from Stratler’s as it took them only five minutes to arrive at the bar.
Everything was going fine while we ate, but near the end of our meal, things took a weird twist. It came out of nowhere and hit me like a ton of bricks. Actually, I’m still not sure what got into Katie.
“-so needless to say, Stacy and I were pretty embarrassed,” said Joel with a laugh, but quickly noticed that Katie was not laughing along with everyone else.
“What is wrong?” asked Joel.
“Nothing,” replied Katie.
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
“Do you have feelings for Stacy?” asked Katie bluntly, catching Joel off guard.
John’s eyes got wide as he turned and look at Joel.
“No,” answered Joel... At least not anymore I don’t.
“Well the way you talk about her says otherwise,” retorted Katie.
“I have known her since elementary school,” said Joel. “She is my best friend. Of course I talk about her like I am fond of her.”
“You always have to be a smartass, don’t you?” asked Katie angrily.
“I’m not being a smartass, Katie,” replied Joel. “What is wrong with you? Why are you acting crazy?” And that was definitely not the right thing to say at that point, not by a long shot.
Katie stood and grabbed her coat, threw it over her arm, and said, “I am leaving.”
“Come on, Katie,” said Joel. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Well, it sure sounded like you did,” said Katie, making a move for the door.
“How are you going to get home?” asked Joel.
“I’ll take a cab,” said Katie as she stormed out of Stratler’s.
Joel immediately stood and followed her out of the bar and down the street. “Katie, wait a minute,” he said, trying to catch up to her.
Katie stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and leaned forward with an arm stretched out as a cab rode by. The cab did not stop, giving Joel time to catch up to her.
“Will you just wait a minute?” asked Joel.
“No, Joel. I am going home,” replied Katie, continuing to try and hail a cab. Finally, she was able to successfully call attention to one, which pulled over in front of her.
“Katie,” asked Joel, “can’t we talk about this?”
“Just go back inside and reminisce about Stacy,” said Katie. “That is obviously what you want to do, isn’t it?”
Joel looked around as he shook his head, obviously irritated by Katie’s remark. “Whatever,” he said, giving up on stating his case. “Just go.”
And with that, Katie got in the cab. Joel stood there, watching it drive away and when it was out of sight, he turned and walked back to Stratler’s where he returned to the table where John and Tiffany awaited.
“No luck?” asked John.
Joel shook his head. “Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yeah,” said John, nodding.
When we left Stratler’s, I took John and Tiffany back to her apartment and dropped them off. After refusing a request to watch a movie, I headed home. I tried calling Katie, but I was unsuccessful. What set her off like that? I know I should not have said she was acting crazy, but she was mad before that. The more I think I understand women, the more it is apparent that I do not.
I was not tired when I got home so I retrieved a beer from the fridge and popped in one of my favorite DVD’s. I could barely focus on the movie as I sat there trying to figure out what I had done to make Katie so mad, but the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became with the whole situation.
Eventually, I started to nod off to sleep while laying on my couch, watching the movie I had picked out. It was almost two in the morning when someone knocked on my door. I was startled as I sat up, wondering who it could be. John was staying at Tiffany’s, so I knew that it was not him.
After unlocking the deadbolt, Joel turned the knob and pulled the door open. Much to his bewilderment, Stacy stood in front of him.
“Stacy?” he asked, confused as to why she was knocking on his door at two in the morning.
“Hey Joel,” replied Stacy. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” said Joel, sliding to his left to let Stacy enter his apartment. What could she be doing here so late?
When Stacy had entered the apartment and Joel had closed the door behind her, Stacy turned to face Joel. “There is something I need to tell you, Joel,” she said, taking a step toward him. She looked up into Joel’s eyes; her own eyes were filled with passion. I almost forgot how beautiful those eyes were.
All of Joel’s feelings for Stacy were beginning to resurface. It was as if they were a freight train and he could hear them barreling toward him. Before he could say anything, Stacy pressed her lips against his and kissed him. Joel’s eyes closed immediately as his emotions surged through him. I cannot believe that this is actually happening!
When Stacy finally relinquished the kiss, she slowly moved her head beside Joel’s and whispered, “I love you,” in his ear.
Joel’s heart leapt as he heard the words. He smiled from ear to ear as he said, “I love you too, Stacy. “I always have.” Finally! I don’t have to hide it anymore, and what’s even better is that she feels the same way! Is this real?
The rest of the night was a blur as we sat on the couch entwined in each other’s arms, watching movies. It was perfect.
As the night wore on, Joel and Stacy eventually began to grow tired. Stacy fell asleep first, resting her head on Joel’s shoulder and soon after he began to doze off as well. His eyes slid shut as his head fell forward. He jerked his head back up as his eyes shot open. For some odd reason, he felt as if he did not want to fall asleep. The last thing he remembered was looking at the digital clock on his cable box, which read 5:48, before he finally succumbed to sleep.
After what seemed like only moments, Joel opened his eyes to find himself laying on his couch alone. He looked around his living room, but Stacy was nowhere to be found. He got up and walked into his bedroom, but she was not in there either. The bathroom door was open as it was empty. Confused, Joel returned to his living room and examined the front door. The deadbolt was locked.
Joel ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at the deadbolt. “It can only be locked from the inside,” he muttered to himself.
Joel walked back over to his couch and sat down. After a brief moment of pondering, it finally hit him. He looked at the clock again, which read 3:04. Joel slumped down on his couch and stared blankly at the floor. One thought echoed in his head as he sat there, heartbroken.
It was a dream.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sports news
NFL Taping Scandal
When you hear New England Patriots, what do you think of? Champions? Dynasty? Integrity? Well, after today your opinion might change. Do you want to know what I think of when hear New England Patriots? Cheaters.
It has come out that the Patriots have been taping other teams’ defensive signals since Bill Belichick came to New England in 2000. Belichick even said that he believed that the taping was legal. Come on Bill, you mean to tell me that you thought secretly taping another team’s defensive signals was legal? Give it up, we are not stupid. Only Patriot fans in denial will believe that one.
I want to know what the NFL will do to their beloved Patriot, if anything at all.
Clemens vs. McNamee
After yesterday’s Congressional hearings, I do not know who to believe. Both Clemens and McNamee were both made to look like liars yesterday. So as far as I am concerned, I do not believe either of them. However, I do believe the man whose testimony had the biggest impact on the hearing...and he was not even there! That man? Andy Pettitte
Pettite said, in his meeting with Congress, that he believes in a higher power that he will one day have to answer to and because of that, he would not lie. After which, he admitted to using HGH again in 2004 in addition to using it in 2002. He also unveiled that he and Roger Clemens had talked about using HGH on several occasions. Of course, Clemens denied this, saying that Pettitte misconstrued what he had said. Once again, Roger, we are not stupid.
All I know is that this will be a long drawn out process, but eventually, the truth will come out.
Spring Training
Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training today all across Major League Baseball. This means only one thing: baseball season is almost here! As a lifelong baseball, I cannot wait to get another season of our national pastime underway. Pretty soon, position players will be reporting, with Spring Training games start on Tuesday, February 26th.
When you hear New England Patriots, what do you think of? Champions? Dynasty? Integrity? Well, after today your opinion might change. Do you want to know what I think of when hear New England Patriots? Cheaters.
It has come out that the Patriots have been taping other teams’ defensive signals since Bill Belichick came to New England in 2000. Belichick even said that he believed that the taping was legal. Come on Bill, you mean to tell me that you thought secretly taping another team’s defensive signals was legal? Give it up, we are not stupid. Only Patriot fans in denial will believe that one.
I want to know what the NFL will do to their beloved Patriot, if anything at all.
Clemens vs. McNamee
After yesterday’s Congressional hearings, I do not know who to believe. Both Clemens and McNamee were both made to look like liars yesterday. So as far as I am concerned, I do not believe either of them. However, I do believe the man whose testimony had the biggest impact on the hearing...and he was not even there! That man? Andy Pettitte
Pettite said, in his meeting with Congress, that he believes in a higher power that he will one day have to answer to and because of that, he would not lie. After which, he admitted to using HGH again in 2004 in addition to using it in 2002. He also unveiled that he and Roger Clemens had talked about using HGH on several occasions. Of course, Clemens denied this, saying that Pettitte misconstrued what he had said. Once again, Roger, we are not stupid.
All I know is that this will be a long drawn out process, but eventually, the truth will come out.
Spring Training
Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training today all across Major League Baseball. This means only one thing: baseball season is almost here! As a lifelong baseball, I cannot wait to get another season of our national pastime underway. Pretty soon, position players will be reporting, with Spring Training games start on Tuesday, February 26th.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Writers' Strike is over!
Well, the writers have voted and have decided to end the strike and return to work as early as Wednesday. Well, whoopteedo! We are supposed to be excited about shortened seasons of our favorite shows because of the greed of the writers? Don't get me wrong, I will be glad to have some new TV to watch, but this is a slap in the face to all the fans of the shows.
Some shows will not come back with new shows until next fall. 24 will only be a half season which means that fans will have to wait until January 2009 for a whole season: almost a whole year! This was supposed to be Scrubs' last season with a big finale and what do they get? 10 episodes MAYBE, counting the four new episodes before Christmas. Not only that, but the big wigs aren't even sure if these episodes will be aired! It is possible that it will go straight to DVD! How is that right? If I were an actor on that show, I would be furious to think that I was on a hit show for six successful seasons only to be screwed over in the seventh and final season.
Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done unless we all stop watching TV, but that isn't going to happen. If only... I just hope that it was worth it to get an extra buck.
Some shows will not come back with new shows until next fall. 24 will only be a half season which means that fans will have to wait until January 2009 for a whole season: almost a whole year! This was supposed to be Scrubs' last season with a big finale and what do they get? 10 episodes MAYBE, counting the four new episodes before Christmas. Not only that, but the big wigs aren't even sure if these episodes will be aired! It is possible that it will go straight to DVD! How is that right? If I were an actor on that show, I would be furious to think that I was on a hit show for six successful seasons only to be screwed over in the seventh and final season.
Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done unless we all stop watching TV, but that isn't going to happen. If only... I just hope that it was worth it to get an extra buck.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Episode 3: Cloud Nine
Everything is going great. I have been dating Katie for about two weeks now and I could not be happier. She is an amazing girl. Not only do we have almost everything in common, but my friends love her too. Also, with my mind not preoccupied on my feelings for Stacy, I can actually hang out with her now without making myself suffer. I am on cloud nine.
John has also been in town regularly as of late. Remember the girl that was smiling at him from across the bar? Her name is Tiffany and the two of them have been seeing each other for two weeks as well. He somehow scheduled his classes this semester so that he has Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which is something that I was never able to figure out while I was in school. Anyway, he comes into town on the weekends and usually once a week on Wednesdays.
So, to recap: I have a great girlfriend, my friendship with Stacy is just that, a friendship, and I get to see my best friend all the time now. Life is good.
It was Tuesday evening, fifteen minutes before six, as Joel, John, Brian, and Jack sat at their usual table in Stratler’s Bar, awaiting the arrival of their friends. Joel, Jack, and Brian were having a conversation about their jobs as John sat with them sending and receiving text messages on his cell phone.
Joel looked over at John with a puzzled look, looked down at his phone, and then back up at him. “Dude, you are going to see her in like five minutes,” he said. “Why are you texting her?”
“Shut up,” replied John.
“I am just saying,” said Joel. “Do you have to talk to her every second?”
“Yes,” answered John, not looking up from his phone.
“Don’t say more than two words in response,” said Joel sarcastically. “I wouldn’t want you to pop a blood vessel in your brain or anything.”
“Shut up.”
“By the way, thanks for letting us sit with you while we are being good friends and carrying on a conversation with the people we are actually with,” said Joel cynically.
“Ass,” replied John curtly.
“Intelligent conversation on your part. It is always such a pleasure talking to you,” said Joel, turning his attention back to Jack and Brian as John ignored him and continued to text.
As the three of them continued their conversation about work, Joel glanced over at the bar and quickly did a double take. “Well, well, well,” he said.
“What is it?” asked Brian.
“Look whose here,” replied Joel, motioning toward the bar.
Jack, Brian, and even John looked over at a blonde woman who was sitting at the bar with two other women.
The blonde is my ex, Linda. We dated for a while a few months ago. Saying that it didn’t end well would be an extreme understatement.
“Linda?” asked Jack rhetorically. He then turned his attention back to Joel and asked, “I thought you got Stratler’s in the break-up?”
“I did,” responded Joel, not taking his eyes off of Linda while pushing his chair back.
“What are you going to do?” asked Brian.
“Run her out of here,” said Joel, standing and starting toward the bar.
John laughed as he finally relinquished his attention from his cell phone and turned to watch Joel. “This should be interesting.”
I’m still not sure what possessed me to approach Linda like that. Maybe it was the high from being on cloud nine. All I know is the before I knew it, and without thinking about it, I was out of my chair and walking toward her.
Joel walked over to the bar where Linda was sitting and propped his left elbow on the bar as he leaned against it while resting his right hand on his hip. It was not long until Linda noticed him as he was uncomfortably close to her.
Linda turned to see that it was Joel and scowled at him. “Hello, Joel,” she said brusquely.
“What are you doing here, Linda?” asked Joel.
“Well,” said Linda, looking down at her martini and back up at Joel before continuing, “it looks like I am having a drink with my friends.”
“Yeah,” said Joel, “in my bar.”
“Last time I checked, you don’t own Stratler’s, Joel,” responded Linda snidely.
“We agreed that I got Stratler’s, Linda,” said Joel. “You got the Ale House, remember?”
“Whatever,” said Linda, while rolling her eyes. “We aren’t leaving.”
“Ok,” said Joel, nodding his head as he looked around while taking in a deep breath. “Then I will just have to follow you around until you leave.”
“Are you really going to be that immature?” asked Linda.
“If that is what it takes to get you out of Stratler’s,” replied Joel, smiling slyly, “then, yes.”
Linda sighed in annoyance while looking at ther friends and once again rolling her eyes. “Fine,” she said angrily, “we will go.”
“It was a pelasure as always, Linda,” said Joel smugly, walking back toward his table.
“Wish I could say the same,” mumbled Linda under her breath.
Wow! That was awesome! I never do anything like that. That is something that you see on TV or read in a book, but never anything you do in real life. Incredible! I am loving cloud nine.
When Joel reached the table in which his friends sat, he returned to his seat and watched triumphantly as Linda and her friends paid their tabs and exited Stratler’s.
“Nice,” said John proudly.
“How did you do that?” asked Brian.
“I threatened to follow her around until she left,” responded Joel, much to the delight of his friends who laughed at his response.
Once the excitement had settled , the four of them returned to their conversation and their drinks. Shortly thereafter, Dustin and Lauren arrived, then, within, minutes of each other, Katie, Tiffany, and Stacy and Ron walked into Stratler’s and joined their friends.
As I sat there surrounded by my friends with Katie at my side, everything felt right with the world. I could not believe how quickly I had forgotten about Stacy in a romantic sense and how hard I was falling for Katie. I could tell that she felt the same by the way she would watch me from the corner of her eye.
She didn’t think that I noticed, but I did, mainly because I was doing the exact same thing. Aren’t the beginnings of relationships great? I just love that new excitement that comes along with it. Nothing could bring me down from cloud nine. Well, at least I thought nothing could especially not one of my best friends.
It happened a little over an hour anf a half after Katie and Tiffany had arrived at Stratler’s when Jack and I went to the bar to get another round of drinks for everyone. Brian, Lauren, and Ron had already left, leaving Jack, John, Stacy, Katie, Tiffany, Dustin, and myself at Stratler’s.
As Jack and I waited for Mike, the bartender, to bring us our drinks, John came over to where we were followed closely by Stacy.
“Dude,” said John, nudging Joel. “Dustin is hitting on Katie.”
“Do what now?” asked Joel, turning around.
“Yeah, he did,” said Stacy. “I heard it too.”
An angry look came over Joel’s face as he started toward the table. However, Jack stopped him by placing his hand on Joel’s shoulder before he could take more than two strides away from the bar.
“Hold on man,” said Jack. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what I’d like to do,” said Joel angrily, then stopping himself. “I am tired of him doing stuff like this.”
“You know how he is,” said Jack, trying to calm Joel down. “He does this kind of stuff to me all the time and it makes me mad too. You just have to let it go.”
“On more than one occasion, I have been talking to a girl when we go out and he just comes over and cuts me off in mid-sentence by literally getting in the middle of us,” said Joel, seemingly growing angrier by the second. “Both times that happened, I was ready to say something to him, but you would tell me what you just did: ‘That is just how he is, it makes me mad too, just let it go.’ Well, I am not going to let it go this time, Jack. You may not want to stand up to him, but I sure as hell will.”
John and Stacy watched on silently, nodding in agreement as Joel stated his case to Jack.
“Dude, come on,” said Jack. “Don’t make a big deal about this.”
“It is a big deal, Jack!” argued Joel, practically yelling at this point. “He is hitting on my girlfriend. Besides, if no one ever says anything to him, then he will just keep doing stuff like this.”
“We are all friends here, Joel,” said Jack. “He wouldn’t do anything like that intentionally.”
“Friends don’t do that and obviously he would do something like this intentionally because he just did it,” said Joel sternly, turning back toward the table.
It was at that time that Kaite looked over at Joel with a disgusted look on her face. Joel saw this and motioned for her to come over. As she stood and walked over to where he was, Joel asked Jack, John, and Stacy if he could talk to her alone. The three of them agreed and returned to the table.
When Katie reached the bar, Joel asked, “Did Dustin say something to you?”
“Yeah,” responded Katie.
“What did he say?”
“He said that I should be with a guy like him instead of you and told me to call him if it didn’t work out between you and me,” said Katie, obviously offended by Dustin’s actions. Joel did not respond to Katie’s answer. Instead he turned and marched angrily toward the table.
Upon arriving at the table, Joel stood across from Dustin and asked, “What do you think you are doing?”
“What are you talking about?” asked Dustin, a look of confusion came over his face.
“You know exactly what I am talking about,” said Joel, almost shouting. “Do you really think it is ok to hit on my girlfriend?”
“I didn’t hit on your girlfriend,” said Dustin defensively.
“Oh, so you didn’t say that if it doesn’t work out between me and her that she should call you?” asked Joel. “You didn’t say that she should be with a guy like you instead of me?”
“No,” responded Dustin, offended by the accusations.
“You are unbelievable!” shouted Joel.
“You were obviously lied to,” said Dustin smugly.
“Yeah, I have been lied to,” said Joel calmly, “by you. Because three people would not all fabricate the same exact story.”
“Man, forget this,” said Dustin, standing and grabbing his coat. “I’m leaving.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Joel. “Deny it til the end and run away like you always do. And by the way, don’t talk to Katie anymore.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” responded Dustin angrily. He then put on his coat and left Stratler’s.
There it was, a line drawn in the sand between Dustin and myself. Just when everything was going great, this had to happen. It makes me wonder what goes through people’s minds. What was he thinking? He had to of known that Katie would tell me. The thing that bothered me the most about the whole situation was that he is supposed to be one of my best friends.
It really got me thinking and the only thing that kept looping through my mind was: It is funny what jealous people will do to try and bring you down isn’t it?
John has also been in town regularly as of late. Remember the girl that was smiling at him from across the bar? Her name is Tiffany and the two of them have been seeing each other for two weeks as well. He somehow scheduled his classes this semester so that he has Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which is something that I was never able to figure out while I was in school. Anyway, he comes into town on the weekends and usually once a week on Wednesdays.
So, to recap: I have a great girlfriend, my friendship with Stacy is just that, a friendship, and I get to see my best friend all the time now. Life is good.
It was Tuesday evening, fifteen minutes before six, as Joel, John, Brian, and Jack sat at their usual table in Stratler’s Bar, awaiting the arrival of their friends. Joel, Jack, and Brian were having a conversation about their jobs as John sat with them sending and receiving text messages on his cell phone.
Joel looked over at John with a puzzled look, looked down at his phone, and then back up at him. “Dude, you are going to see her in like five minutes,” he said. “Why are you texting her?”
“Shut up,” replied John.
“I am just saying,” said Joel. “Do you have to talk to her every second?”
“Yes,” answered John, not looking up from his phone.
“Don’t say more than two words in response,” said Joel sarcastically. “I wouldn’t want you to pop a blood vessel in your brain or anything.”
“Shut up.”
“By the way, thanks for letting us sit with you while we are being good friends and carrying on a conversation with the people we are actually with,” said Joel cynically.
“Ass,” replied John curtly.
“Intelligent conversation on your part. It is always such a pleasure talking to you,” said Joel, turning his attention back to Jack and Brian as John ignored him and continued to text.
As the three of them continued their conversation about work, Joel glanced over at the bar and quickly did a double take. “Well, well, well,” he said.
“What is it?” asked Brian.
“Look whose here,” replied Joel, motioning toward the bar.
Jack, Brian, and even John looked over at a blonde woman who was sitting at the bar with two other women.
The blonde is my ex, Linda. We dated for a while a few months ago. Saying that it didn’t end well would be an extreme understatement.
“Linda?” asked Jack rhetorically. He then turned his attention back to Joel and asked, “I thought you got Stratler’s in the break-up?”
“I did,” responded Joel, not taking his eyes off of Linda while pushing his chair back.
“What are you going to do?” asked Brian.
“Run her out of here,” said Joel, standing and starting toward the bar.
John laughed as he finally relinquished his attention from his cell phone and turned to watch Joel. “This should be interesting.”
I’m still not sure what possessed me to approach Linda like that. Maybe it was the high from being on cloud nine. All I know is the before I knew it, and without thinking about it, I was out of my chair and walking toward her.
Joel walked over to the bar where Linda was sitting and propped his left elbow on the bar as he leaned against it while resting his right hand on his hip. It was not long until Linda noticed him as he was uncomfortably close to her.
Linda turned to see that it was Joel and scowled at him. “Hello, Joel,” she said brusquely.
“What are you doing here, Linda?” asked Joel.
“Well,” said Linda, looking down at her martini and back up at Joel before continuing, “it looks like I am having a drink with my friends.”
“Yeah,” said Joel, “in my bar.”
“Last time I checked, you don’t own Stratler’s, Joel,” responded Linda snidely.
“We agreed that I got Stratler’s, Linda,” said Joel. “You got the Ale House, remember?”
“Whatever,” said Linda, while rolling her eyes. “We aren’t leaving.”
“Ok,” said Joel, nodding his head as he looked around while taking in a deep breath. “Then I will just have to follow you around until you leave.”
“Are you really going to be that immature?” asked Linda.
“If that is what it takes to get you out of Stratler’s,” replied Joel, smiling slyly, “then, yes.”
Linda sighed in annoyance while looking at ther friends and once again rolling her eyes. “Fine,” she said angrily, “we will go.”
“It was a pelasure as always, Linda,” said Joel smugly, walking back toward his table.
“Wish I could say the same,” mumbled Linda under her breath.
Wow! That was awesome! I never do anything like that. That is something that you see on TV or read in a book, but never anything you do in real life. Incredible! I am loving cloud nine.
When Joel reached the table in which his friends sat, he returned to his seat and watched triumphantly as Linda and her friends paid their tabs and exited Stratler’s.
“Nice,” said John proudly.
“How did you do that?” asked Brian.
“I threatened to follow her around until she left,” responded Joel, much to the delight of his friends who laughed at his response.
Once the excitement had settled , the four of them returned to their conversation and their drinks. Shortly thereafter, Dustin and Lauren arrived, then, within, minutes of each other, Katie, Tiffany, and Stacy and Ron walked into Stratler’s and joined their friends.
As I sat there surrounded by my friends with Katie at my side, everything felt right with the world. I could not believe how quickly I had forgotten about Stacy in a romantic sense and how hard I was falling for Katie. I could tell that she felt the same by the way she would watch me from the corner of her eye.
She didn’t think that I noticed, but I did, mainly because I was doing the exact same thing. Aren’t the beginnings of relationships great? I just love that new excitement that comes along with it. Nothing could bring me down from cloud nine. Well, at least I thought nothing could especially not one of my best friends.
It happened a little over an hour anf a half after Katie and Tiffany had arrived at Stratler’s when Jack and I went to the bar to get another round of drinks for everyone. Brian, Lauren, and Ron had already left, leaving Jack, John, Stacy, Katie, Tiffany, Dustin, and myself at Stratler’s.
As Jack and I waited for Mike, the bartender, to bring us our drinks, John came over to where we were followed closely by Stacy.
“Dude,” said John, nudging Joel. “Dustin is hitting on Katie.”
“Do what now?” asked Joel, turning around.
“Yeah, he did,” said Stacy. “I heard it too.”
An angry look came over Joel’s face as he started toward the table. However, Jack stopped him by placing his hand on Joel’s shoulder before he could take more than two strides away from the bar.
“Hold on man,” said Jack. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ll tell you what I’d like to do,” said Joel angrily, then stopping himself. “I am tired of him doing stuff like this.”
“You know how he is,” said Jack, trying to calm Joel down. “He does this kind of stuff to me all the time and it makes me mad too. You just have to let it go.”
“On more than one occasion, I have been talking to a girl when we go out and he just comes over and cuts me off in mid-sentence by literally getting in the middle of us,” said Joel, seemingly growing angrier by the second. “Both times that happened, I was ready to say something to him, but you would tell me what you just did: ‘That is just how he is, it makes me mad too, just let it go.’ Well, I am not going to let it go this time, Jack. You may not want to stand up to him, but I sure as hell will.”
John and Stacy watched on silently, nodding in agreement as Joel stated his case to Jack.
“Dude, come on,” said Jack. “Don’t make a big deal about this.”
“It is a big deal, Jack!” argued Joel, practically yelling at this point. “He is hitting on my girlfriend. Besides, if no one ever says anything to him, then he will just keep doing stuff like this.”
“We are all friends here, Joel,” said Jack. “He wouldn’t do anything like that intentionally.”
“Friends don’t do that and obviously he would do something like this intentionally because he just did it,” said Joel sternly, turning back toward the table.
It was at that time that Kaite looked over at Joel with a disgusted look on her face. Joel saw this and motioned for her to come over. As she stood and walked over to where he was, Joel asked Jack, John, and Stacy if he could talk to her alone. The three of them agreed and returned to the table.
When Katie reached the bar, Joel asked, “Did Dustin say something to you?”
“Yeah,” responded Katie.
“What did he say?”
“He said that I should be with a guy like him instead of you and told me to call him if it didn’t work out between you and me,” said Katie, obviously offended by Dustin’s actions. Joel did not respond to Katie’s answer. Instead he turned and marched angrily toward the table.
Upon arriving at the table, Joel stood across from Dustin and asked, “What do you think you are doing?”
“What are you talking about?” asked Dustin, a look of confusion came over his face.
“You know exactly what I am talking about,” said Joel, almost shouting. “Do you really think it is ok to hit on my girlfriend?”
“I didn’t hit on your girlfriend,” said Dustin defensively.
“Oh, so you didn’t say that if it doesn’t work out between me and her that she should call you?” asked Joel. “You didn’t say that she should be with a guy like you instead of me?”
“No,” responded Dustin, offended by the accusations.
“You are unbelievable!” shouted Joel.
“You were obviously lied to,” said Dustin smugly.
“Yeah, I have been lied to,” said Joel calmly, “by you. Because three people would not all fabricate the same exact story.”
“Man, forget this,” said Dustin, standing and grabbing his coat. “I’m leaving.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Joel. “Deny it til the end and run away like you always do. And by the way, don’t talk to Katie anymore.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” responded Dustin angrily. He then put on his coat and left Stratler’s.
There it was, a line drawn in the sand between Dustin and myself. Just when everything was going great, this had to happen. It makes me wonder what goes through people’s minds. What was he thinking? He had to of known that Katie would tell me. The thing that bothered me the most about the whole situation was that he is supposed to be one of my best friends.
It really got me thinking and the only thing that kept looping through my mind was: It is funny what jealous people will do to try and bring you down isn’t it?
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Dale Jr. is back!
With Dale Earnhardt Jr's win at the Budweiser Shootout last night, he reclaims his spot amongst the elite drivers in NASCAR. I, myself, cannot remember the last time that I saw Junior that happy on the race track, before or after, a race. Over the last few years, the only time he was interviewed after races was when he did manage to actually win a race, finish in the top ten and sometimes, very rarely, in the top five, or after his DEI engine had blown up and he was sitting in the garage.
Last night in Daytona, that all changed.
Even though this race does not count toward the point standings, it was definitely a win that Junior needed. This was his first win since early 2006, almost two years ago and I do not think that it will be his last win of 2008. Now that he does not have the pressure all around him, for example, worrying about his future, or making a new deal with DEI, or even fighting his step-mother for majority control of the company that his father built for him, he can finally get back to simply driving.
Another thing that Junior got last night, that he so desperately needed, was a congratulations from his owner AT THE TRACK. In fact, he had not even gotten out of his race car when Rick Hendrick came over to congratulate him on his victory. Support from his owner is something that Dale Jr. has not received in recent years, most notably last year.
Do not be surprised if Junior is in contention for the win every single race in 2008. Granted, complications will come, but it will be nothing like the past few years when he was with DEI. With his new team, Hendrick Motor Sports, Dale Jr. will be running at the front of the pack along with his new teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who have been doing so for years. Who knows, maybe he will even win a few poles this year.
All in all, expect to see a different Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. One who will be driving with confidence and a car that does not have an engine that is a ticking time bomb. It will be nice to see what he can do with an organization, and an owner, that will provide him with the cars and support that he needs. As a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, I have never been more excited about the start of a NASCAR season.
Last night in Daytona, that all changed.
Even though this race does not count toward the point standings, it was definitely a win that Junior needed. This was his first win since early 2006, almost two years ago and I do not think that it will be his last win of 2008. Now that he does not have the pressure all around him, for example, worrying about his future, or making a new deal with DEI, or even fighting his step-mother for majority control of the company that his father built for him, he can finally get back to simply driving.
Another thing that Junior got last night, that he so desperately needed, was a congratulations from his owner AT THE TRACK. In fact, he had not even gotten out of his race car when Rick Hendrick came over to congratulate him on his victory. Support from his owner is something that Dale Jr. has not received in recent years, most notably last year.
Do not be surprised if Junior is in contention for the win every single race in 2008. Granted, complications will come, but it will be nothing like the past few years when he was with DEI. With his new team, Hendrick Motor Sports, Dale Jr. will be running at the front of the pack along with his new teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who have been doing so for years. Who knows, maybe he will even win a few poles this year.
All in all, expect to see a different Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. One who will be driving with confidence and a car that does not have an engine that is a ticking time bomb. It will be nice to see what he can do with an organization, and an owner, that will provide him with the cars and support that he needs. As a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, I have never been more excited about the start of a NASCAR season.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Writers Strike
The writers are meeting tomorrow to go over the new deal that has been proposed to them. If I could say one thing to the writers it would be: Please...PLEASE except the deal! I am tired of watching reruns! I want to see some new episodes of all my favorite shows that don't come on anymore because you are on strike!
Ok, I'm done. I just needed to get that out. But seriously, I know I can't be the only one that is sick and tired of this. The only people that this whole thing is hurting are the fans. Swallow your pride and get back to work! Don't you agree?
Ok, I'm done. I just needed to get that out. But seriously, I know I can't be the only one that is sick and tired of this. The only people that this whole thing is hurting are the fans. Swallow your pride and get back to work! Don't you agree?
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Novel Number 2 and Episode 3
For a few weeks now, I have had an itch to start working on my second novel which, by the way, is a direct sequel to my forst novel. I have big things planned for the series and the more I think about it, the more I want to continue the story. So, after like three weeks of ideas coming and going, I have finally decided to scratch that itch. This is exciting news for me as I embark on another adventure with my characters so I wanted to share the big news.
For those of you who are fans of my written series, don't fret! I will still be writing and posting my written series. Episode 3 is right on track. In fact, all I need to do is put the finishing touches on it and it will be ready to post on Monday. Anyway, that is what is going on with my writing at the moment. I'm out of here, peace!
For those of you who are fans of my written series, don't fret! I will still be writing and posting my written series. Episode 3 is right on track. In fact, all I need to do is put the finishing touches on it and it will be ready to post on Monday. Anyway, that is what is going on with my writing at the moment. I'm out of here, peace!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Clemens vs. McNamee
Every since the Mitchell Report came out, Roger Clemens has aggressively denied the allegations that he used performance enhancers during the latter parts of his career. However, McNamee has done nothing but accuse Clemens of using performance enhancers. Well, yesterday the two of them took their ongoing argument in front of Congress. Once again, this time under oath, Clemens refused the notion that he used steroids while McNamee insisted that he did.
Uh oh! Somebody committed perjury yesterday.
The very brief history of steroid hearings tells us that the player(Bonds) was lying under oath. Granted, that is only one case and Bonds is a compeltely different person than Clemens, but that is the only other occurance that people can look to to compare. Now, I'm not calling Clemens a liar, nor am I calling McNamee one either. I am just pointing out the simple fact that one of them did indeed lie yesterday.
Today, the mudslinging continued as a story has been released stating that McNamee has given vials, syringes, and gauze pads to investigators. I am looking forward to seeing what Clemens has to say when he returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow to discuss the evidence presented by McNamee.
Personally, I hope that it evetually comes out that Clemens did not take steroids. Baseball has a huge cloud looming over it in regards to the whole steroid issue and if it is proven that one of the pitchers ever to play the game used steroids, it would be devastating.
Also, if it is proven that Clemens did not use performance enhancers, the validity of the Mitchell Report will have to be brought into question. In all honesty, I have questioned the validity of the report since I found out the Mitchell is on the board of the directors for the Boston Red Sox and that no players from that organization were named when it was released. Do you really expect me to believe that every single team had players use performance enhancing drugs except the Red Sox. That one is a little hard to swallow.
Back to Clemens and McNamee, the truth WILL eventually come out. Only time will tell.
Uh oh! Somebody committed perjury yesterday.
The very brief history of steroid hearings tells us that the player(Bonds) was lying under oath. Granted, that is only one case and Bonds is a compeltely different person than Clemens, but that is the only other occurance that people can look to to compare. Now, I'm not calling Clemens a liar, nor am I calling McNamee one either. I am just pointing out the simple fact that one of them did indeed lie yesterday.
Today, the mudslinging continued as a story has been released stating that McNamee has given vials, syringes, and gauze pads to investigators. I am looking forward to seeing what Clemens has to say when he returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow to discuss the evidence presented by McNamee.
Personally, I hope that it evetually comes out that Clemens did not take steroids. Baseball has a huge cloud looming over it in regards to the whole steroid issue and if it is proven that one of the pitchers ever to play the game used steroids, it would be devastating.
Also, if it is proven that Clemens did not use performance enhancers, the validity of the Mitchell Report will have to be brought into question. In all honesty, I have questioned the validity of the report since I found out the Mitchell is on the board of the directors for the Boston Red Sox and that no players from that organization were named when it was released. Do you really expect me to believe that every single team had players use performance enhancing drugs except the Red Sox. That one is a little hard to swallow.
Back to Clemens and McNamee, the truth WILL eventually come out. Only time will tell.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Episode 2: Alone in a Bar
I never thought that I would be this miserable over a woman. It has been three days and I cannot shake off this wretched feeling. What is wrong with me? I even took a sick day today so I could have a three day weekend. Needless to say, I have skipped out on our nightly trip to Stratler’s the past three days. I need something to snap me out of this funk. It was around two o’clock that Friday afternoon when I finally got the pick-me-up that would bring me back from the brink of despair.
Joel laid on the couch in the living room of his one bedroom apartment wearing a tattered white tee shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants; his brown hair was disheveled from laying down. He held a beer can in his left hand which was resting on his stomach as he held the remote with his right hand, aimlessly flipping through the channels on his television.
Moments after Joel settled on a rerun of Full House, he was startled by a pounding on his door. Nearly spilling his beer, he jolted up from his couch and set the can down on his coffee table.
"Who could that be?" wondered Joel, lethargically pacing toward the door. "Everyone is at work."
The pounding came again a few seconds later.
"I’m coming," shouted Joel, "don’t break down my door! Geez."
When Joel reached the wooden door, he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. When he saw who was standing there, he could not believe his eyes. A look of surprise came over his face as he gazed at his visitor.
"John?" asked Joel, a confused look shortly followed the look of surprise.
The blonde man standing at the door, who was as tall as Joel, smiled at the confusion of his friend. "Who did you expect? Stacy?" asked John, a sly smile crept across his face.
That’s John, my college roommate. Although I graduated and moved to Charlotte, we stayed close. He visits from time to time, but usually not unannounced.
"Funny," said Joel facetiously. "Come on in."
"It’s about time. I thought I’d be out there all day," said John, grabbing his bag and walking through the door. As he entered the apartment, he looked Joel up and down. "You look like hell."
"Thanks," responded Joel, following John past the kitchen and dining area of his apartment and into the living room. "Did you come all the way up here just to tell me that?"
"Actually, yeah, but more importantly to pull you out of your depression," responded John proudly. "When I heard how pathetic you sounded on the phone, I decided to come up here and get you back on your feet."
Joel chuckled as John finished talking. "Be careful, buddy," he said, "you almost sound like you care."
"My bad," replied John, unzipping his bag. "You know what helps me get over a girl?"
"What’s that?"
"A club filled with hot girls and this," replied John, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle of tequila. "Got any shot glasses?"
"Actually," said Joel, pausing briefly in thought, "that doesn’t sound bad at all. I like where your head’s at. I’ll get my shot glasses."
"He must be feeling better," said Jack.
"Finally," said Dustin. "Being around him like that is worse than being around Brian and Lauren when they are all lovey-dovey. It makes me sick."
"Jealous much?" asked Jack.
"Of them? No!" replied Dustin, disgusted at the thought. "I just don’t want them to do it in front of me, or in my apartment."
"Aren’t the two of you roommates?" asked Jack.
"Yeah, so?" responded Dustin, obviously clueless at the point that Jack was trying to make. "What of it?"
"So, it’s his apartment too."
"Yeah, yeah," responded Dustin, rolling his eyes.
When the two men reached the do, Jack knocked, but there was no answer. All that could be heard was the loud music that was booming through the walls. Jack tried again, pounding on the door furiously. Still nothing. Finally, Dustin tried turning the doorknob. Sure enough, the apartment was unlocked.
When Jack and Dustin entered the apartment, they found Joel and John sitting on the living room couch playing video games. Sitting on the coffee table in front of them was an unopened bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, and an empty pizza box. Looking up from his television, Joel noticed his two friends and reached for a remote and turned the music down.
What? You expected us to be passed out drunk? We have more sense than that. We decided to wait for Jack and Dustin to get there before we started pregaming to go out. It would just be the four of us tonight seeing as how Brian, Lauren, Stacy, and Ron were going out on a double date. I am kind of glad they decided to have a date night. If I was going to get over Stacy, I didn’t need her around to get in the way of it.
"Hey guys," said Joel, placing the remote back on the coffee table and returning to his game. "There is beer in the fridge or if you want to join John and myself for some shots, there are shot glasses in the cabinets over the sink."
Both men went directly to the kitchen and opened the cabinet above the sink to retrieve two shot glasses. When they returned to the living room, John had opened the bottle of tequila and filled his and Joel’s glasses. He then filled Jack’s and Dustin’s glasses and the four of them toasted a took a shot.
And so, our night began. We stayed at my place until abut 10, then we gelled our hair and put on our button down, collared shirts. We left my apartment and ventured downtown via a cab. Once downtown, the taxi dropped us off on a street where two bars stood side-by-side directly across the street from a club we often frequented.
The four men piled out of the cab and entered one of the two bars, called The Dirty Sanchez. Upon entering, the bar stood directly across from the front door on the back wall. The wooden counter formed a giant square as the three bartenders worked from within the middle. The two men and the woman looked like fisherman trapped in a boat being swarmed by sharks as The Dirty Sanchez was already crowded when Joel and his friends arrived.
The four men searched out an unattended spot at the bar and waded their way through the sea of people, making their way toward it. They arrived and claimed the spot at the bar, just beating a group of three men to it. Jack flagged down the bartender and ordered four beers. Even after they had received their beers, the four men held their position at the bar.
Looking out over the people, John nudged Joel with his elbow. "How about those girls over there?" he asked, pointing toward two girls sitting at a table across the bar. Joel shrugged in disapproval and John continued his search as Jack and Dustin made their way over to two girls and struck up a conversation.
In mid-search, John stopped and looked at Joel with a wary look. "You aren’t doing that thing where you see Stacy everywhere are you?"
"Dude, no. Not at all," responded Joel.
"Ok, just making sure."
But I was doing it. I couldn’t look at another girl without seeing Stacy’s face. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get past her? It’s really starting to make me mad.
"What about them?" asked John, pointing to two different girls. Joel shook his head at the proposal. John looked over at his friend with a grimace on his face. "You aren’t one of those...you know, are you?"
Joel rolled his eyes and looked at John sternly. "Very funny."
"Ok, well that girl across the bar is smiling at me so I am going to go talk to her," said John. "You gonna be ok over here by yourself?"
"Yeah, I’ll be fine."
Reluctantly, John left Joel and made his way around the bar to the girl he had mentioned. Joel watched him as he started to talk to her. John then looked over at Joel and winked, prompting Joel to chuckle and shake his head.
As I looked around the bar and watched all of my friends talk to girls like it was second nature, I found myself wondering why I could not do the same. It looks easy enough, but I just could not will myself into action. The longer I stood there, the more alone I felt. Now how could that be? How could a person be standing in the middle of a crowded bar and feel completely alone? I had no idea, but that’s how I felt...alone.
As Joel pined over his beer, a raven-haired beauty made her way to the bar behind him. Upon reaching Joel, she tapped him on the shoulder. Joel turned to gaze into her emerald-colored eyes.
"I noticed that your friends left you standing here alone. Need some company?" asked the woman, smiling warmly.
Joel hesitated for a second, almost getting lost in the woman’s eyes, but then quickly snapped out of it. "Yes," he said, smiling back at the girl.
"My name is Katie," said the woman, sticking her hand out.
"It’s nice to meet you, Katie," said Joel, shaking Katie’s hand. "I’m Joel."
And for the first time I thought, Stacy who?
Joel laid on the couch in the living room of his one bedroom apartment wearing a tattered white tee shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants; his brown hair was disheveled from laying down. He held a beer can in his left hand which was resting on his stomach as he held the remote with his right hand, aimlessly flipping through the channels on his television.
Moments after Joel settled on a rerun of Full House, he was startled by a pounding on his door. Nearly spilling his beer, he jolted up from his couch and set the can down on his coffee table.
"Who could that be?" wondered Joel, lethargically pacing toward the door. "Everyone is at work."
The pounding came again a few seconds later.
"I’m coming," shouted Joel, "don’t break down my door! Geez."
When Joel reached the wooden door, he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. When he saw who was standing there, he could not believe his eyes. A look of surprise came over his face as he gazed at his visitor.
"John?" asked Joel, a confused look shortly followed the look of surprise.
The blonde man standing at the door, who was as tall as Joel, smiled at the confusion of his friend. "Who did you expect? Stacy?" asked John, a sly smile crept across his face.
That’s John, my college roommate. Although I graduated and moved to Charlotte, we stayed close. He visits from time to time, but usually not unannounced.
"Funny," said Joel facetiously. "Come on in."
"It’s about time. I thought I’d be out there all day," said John, grabbing his bag and walking through the door. As he entered the apartment, he looked Joel up and down. "You look like hell."
"Thanks," responded Joel, following John past the kitchen and dining area of his apartment and into the living room. "Did you come all the way up here just to tell me that?"
"Actually, yeah, but more importantly to pull you out of your depression," responded John proudly. "When I heard how pathetic you sounded on the phone, I decided to come up here and get you back on your feet."
Joel chuckled as John finished talking. "Be careful, buddy," he said, "you almost sound like you care."
"My bad," replied John, unzipping his bag. "You know what helps me get over a girl?"
"What’s that?"
"A club filled with hot girls and this," replied John, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle of tequila. "Got any shot glasses?"
"Actually," said Joel, pausing briefly in thought, "that doesn’t sound bad at all. I like where your head’s at. I’ll get my shot glasses."
* * *
Three and a half hours later, the elevator bell rang as the five lit up above the button to the right of the steel doors. The two doors then slid apart allowing Jack and Dustin to exit the elevator. The two of them turned left, heading for Joel’s door. As the duo approached his door, they heard loud music. Both men looked at each other with a look of confusion on their faces."He must be feeling better," said Jack.
"Finally," said Dustin. "Being around him like that is worse than being around Brian and Lauren when they are all lovey-dovey. It makes me sick."
"Jealous much?" asked Jack.
"Of them? No!" replied Dustin, disgusted at the thought. "I just don’t want them to do it in front of me, or in my apartment."
"Aren’t the two of you roommates?" asked Jack.
"Yeah, so?" responded Dustin, obviously clueless at the point that Jack was trying to make. "What of it?"
"So, it’s his apartment too."
"Yeah, yeah," responded Dustin, rolling his eyes.
When the two men reached the do, Jack knocked, but there was no answer. All that could be heard was the loud music that was booming through the walls. Jack tried again, pounding on the door furiously. Still nothing. Finally, Dustin tried turning the doorknob. Sure enough, the apartment was unlocked.
When Jack and Dustin entered the apartment, they found Joel and John sitting on the living room couch playing video games. Sitting on the coffee table in front of them was an unopened bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, and an empty pizza box. Looking up from his television, Joel noticed his two friends and reached for a remote and turned the music down.
What? You expected us to be passed out drunk? We have more sense than that. We decided to wait for Jack and Dustin to get there before we started pregaming to go out. It would just be the four of us tonight seeing as how Brian, Lauren, Stacy, and Ron were going out on a double date. I am kind of glad they decided to have a date night. If I was going to get over Stacy, I didn’t need her around to get in the way of it.
"Hey guys," said Joel, placing the remote back on the coffee table and returning to his game. "There is beer in the fridge or if you want to join John and myself for some shots, there are shot glasses in the cabinets over the sink."
Both men went directly to the kitchen and opened the cabinet above the sink to retrieve two shot glasses. When they returned to the living room, John had opened the bottle of tequila and filled his and Joel’s glasses. He then filled Jack’s and Dustin’s glasses and the four of them toasted a took a shot.
And so, our night began. We stayed at my place until abut 10, then we gelled our hair and put on our button down, collared shirts. We left my apartment and ventured downtown via a cab. Once downtown, the taxi dropped us off on a street where two bars stood side-by-side directly across the street from a club we often frequented.
The four men piled out of the cab and entered one of the two bars, called The Dirty Sanchez. Upon entering, the bar stood directly across from the front door on the back wall. The wooden counter formed a giant square as the three bartenders worked from within the middle. The two men and the woman looked like fisherman trapped in a boat being swarmed by sharks as The Dirty Sanchez was already crowded when Joel and his friends arrived.
The four men searched out an unattended spot at the bar and waded their way through the sea of people, making their way toward it. They arrived and claimed the spot at the bar, just beating a group of three men to it. Jack flagged down the bartender and ordered four beers. Even after they had received their beers, the four men held their position at the bar.
Looking out over the people, John nudged Joel with his elbow. "How about those girls over there?" he asked, pointing toward two girls sitting at a table across the bar. Joel shrugged in disapproval and John continued his search as Jack and Dustin made their way over to two girls and struck up a conversation.
In mid-search, John stopped and looked at Joel with a wary look. "You aren’t doing that thing where you see Stacy everywhere are you?"
"Dude, no. Not at all," responded Joel.
"Ok, just making sure."
But I was doing it. I couldn’t look at another girl without seeing Stacy’s face. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get past her? It’s really starting to make me mad.
"What about them?" asked John, pointing to two different girls. Joel shook his head at the proposal. John looked over at his friend with a grimace on his face. "You aren’t one of those...you know, are you?"
Joel rolled his eyes and looked at John sternly. "Very funny."
"Ok, well that girl across the bar is smiling at me so I am going to go talk to her," said John. "You gonna be ok over here by yourself?"
"Yeah, I’ll be fine."
Reluctantly, John left Joel and made his way around the bar to the girl he had mentioned. Joel watched him as he started to talk to her. John then looked over at Joel and winked, prompting Joel to chuckle and shake his head.
As I looked around the bar and watched all of my friends talk to girls like it was second nature, I found myself wondering why I could not do the same. It looks easy enough, but I just could not will myself into action. The longer I stood there, the more alone I felt. Now how could that be? How could a person be standing in the middle of a crowded bar and feel completely alone? I had no idea, but that’s how I felt...alone.
As Joel pined over his beer, a raven-haired beauty made her way to the bar behind him. Upon reaching Joel, she tapped him on the shoulder. Joel turned to gaze into her emerald-colored eyes.
"I noticed that your friends left you standing here alone. Need some company?" asked the woman, smiling warmly.
Joel hesitated for a second, almost getting lost in the woman’s eyes, but then quickly snapped out of it. "Yes," he said, smiling back at the girl.
"My name is Katie," said the woman, sticking her hand out.
"It’s nice to meet you, Katie," said Joel, shaking Katie’s hand. "I’m Joel."
And for the first time I thought, Stacy who?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Giant Upset
Many people may be shocked that the Giants won the Super Bowl, but I'm not. Surprised, yes, but not shocked. The Giants proved themselves in this years playoffs and topped it off by knocking off the undefeated Patriots. All I heard the past 2 weeks was how bad the Patriots were going to beat the Giants, but the Giants had other ideas. I guess it is true what they say: cheaters don't win.
In the end, just like Plaxico Burress said and Tom Brady denied, the Giants defense held the Patriots to 14 points. Not only did the defense step up huge, but Eli Manning was remarkable. On football's biggest stage, Eli drove his team down the field in the last two and a half minutes and scored in one of the gutsiest performances I have seen in a long time.
Also, Randy Moss was crucified a few years ago for walking off the field before the time ran out at the end of a game when he was with the Vikings. I want to know what will be said about Bill Belichick doing the same in the Super Bowl in what can only be described as a classless act on his part.
All that aside, tonight it's about the New York Giants, Super Bowl XLII Champions.
In the end, just like Plaxico Burress said and Tom Brady denied, the Giants defense held the Patriots to 14 points. Not only did the defense step up huge, but Eli Manning was remarkable. On football's biggest stage, Eli drove his team down the field in the last two and a half minutes and scored in one of the gutsiest performances I have seen in a long time.
Also, Randy Moss was crucified a few years ago for walking off the field before the time ran out at the end of a game when he was with the Vikings. I want to know what will be said about Bill Belichick doing the same in the Super Bowl in what can only be described as a classless act on his part.
All that aside, tonight it's about the New York Giants, Super Bowl XLII Champions.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Episode 2 sneak preview
I have completed episode 2 of Life, Love, and the Pusuit of Happiness. I will be posting it on monday during the day just as I did episode 1. To hold you over til then, I have decided to post a sneak preview today. Here it goes...
I never thought that I would be this miserable over a woman. It has been three days and I cannot shake off this wretched feeling. What is wrong with me? I even took a sick day today so I could have a three day weekend. Needless to say, I have skipped out on our nightly trip to Stratler’s the past three days. I need something to snap me out of this funk. It was around two o’clock that Friday afternoon when I finally got the pick-me-up that would bring me back from the brink of despair.
Joel laid on the couch in the living room of his one bedroom apartment wearing a tattered white tee shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants; his brown hair was disheveled from laying down. He held a beer can in his left hand which was resting on his stomach as he held the remote with his right hand, aimlessly flipping through the channels on his television.
Moments after Joel settled on a rerun of Full House, he was startled by a pounding on his door. Nearly spilling his beer, he jolted up from his couch and set the can down on his coffee table.
"Who could that be?" wondered Joel, lethargically pacing toward the door. "Everyone is at work."
The pounding came again a few seconds later.
"I’m coming," shouted Joel, "don’t break down my door! Geez."
When Joel reached the wooden door, he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. When he saw who was standing there, he could not believe his eyes. A look of surprise came over his face as he gazed at his visitor.
That is all I can show you for now. I will post the complete episode on Monday.
I never thought that I would be this miserable over a woman. It has been three days and I cannot shake off this wretched feeling. What is wrong with me? I even took a sick day today so I could have a three day weekend. Needless to say, I have skipped out on our nightly trip to Stratler’s the past three days. I need something to snap me out of this funk. It was around two o’clock that Friday afternoon when I finally got the pick-me-up that would bring me back from the brink of despair.
Joel laid on the couch in the living room of his one bedroom apartment wearing a tattered white tee shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants; his brown hair was disheveled from laying down. He held a beer can in his left hand which was resting on his stomach as he held the remote with his right hand, aimlessly flipping through the channels on his television.
Moments after Joel settled on a rerun of Full House, he was startled by a pounding on his door. Nearly spilling his beer, he jolted up from his couch and set the can down on his coffee table.
"Who could that be?" wondered Joel, lethargically pacing toward the door. "Everyone is at work."
The pounding came again a few seconds later.
"I’m coming," shouted Joel, "don’t break down my door! Geez."
When Joel reached the wooden door, he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. When he saw who was standing there, he could not believe his eyes. A look of surprise came over his face as he gazed at his visitor.
That is all I can show you for now. I will post the complete episode on Monday.
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