Regrets, I’ve had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
- “My Way” as recorded by Frank Sinatra
Regrets; we all know them. Some are more potent than others. They poke at us when we want to forget them most. They all stick to us like burrs on a hunting dog’s fur. They make us who we are because they come from who we weren’t. Even the great ones have them.
Hunter S. Thompson, one of America’s true original artists and one of the select handpicked few journalists that could overwhelmingly succeed at making any event enthralling – whether sports related or otherwise – had a tremendous regret: The Rumble in the Jungle.
HST was sent to Zaire to cover Muhammad Ali, his fellow Kentuckian in a battle against the predominant power puncher in his time George Foreman. Thompson met with his wildly talented friend and illustrator Ralph Steadman in Zaire and the event was to be covered in that “Gonzo” styling that had descriptively blown into bits and reassembled the Hell’s Angels, the ’72 Campaign Trail, even chasing down the American Dream in a fearful and loathable Las Vegas. The fight which grew into its own epic organically was primed to be another instant journalistic classic – both cult and natural.
But Thompson never wrote the story. It was his great regret.
As we all know now, Ali outlasted the bigger stronger Foreman and shocked the world despite his vocal bravado and oral brashness. He backed it all up with his body, brains and courage. Thompson thought he knew for sure that his friend from Louisville was toast and couldn’t bear to see the carnage… let alone have to tell the tale afterwards under an imposing deadline. So he gave away his press passes (both his own and to Steadman’s dismay, his illustrator’s/boxing enthusiast’s pass as well) and went swimming in the hotel pool and sipped beers instead thinking about how he could write about experiencing everything EXCEPT the fight to justify the expenditures of his assignment.
Except… Oops! When Ali won, there was no other story. It was THE story – a story that still screams today.
Sure, Thompson missed out on other moments that he could have smashed into bits and put together again with a wisdom only he possessed. It wasn’t always as simple as letting a deadline pass, sometimes it was just the way it had to be – he couldn’t turn Gonzo on whenever he wished and he couldn’t accept anything less than his best. He was there in the fall of Saigon and never submitted a story. He never wrote about Watergate – which is amazing if you think about how much he despised Dick Nixon. No matter how much you can appreciate the moments of triumph, the soul of we, the readers is a devouring beast that wonders why there wasn’t more “magic”… why we don’t have more disgusting beauty to consume… why an American Giant of Storytelling could be so utterly human just like us.
Make the most of your regrets;
Never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it come to have a separate and integral interest.
To regret deeply is to live afresh.
- Henry David Thoreau
Sometimes I sit and think about moments I missed out on – ESPECIALLY when it comes to sports; namely playing baseball.
I think of all the pitches I wish I made instead of those I did, of errors due to mental mistakes instead of fluid physical movements that I had drilled into my utter being through endless sweaty hours of practice, of hitters I drilled in the ribs – maybe not to “do over” but just to experience it one more time. It’s been more than a dozen years since I hurled a pearl and a batter/unsuspecting victim! My mind feels like my body is still in that place - despite my current (older, creakier and appreciably fatter) condition – I can still feel the moment; the air, the ambiance, the grind of competition, the sound of the bustling crowd of dozens, the want of victory… I can still mentally “feel” my delivery, my arm slot and angle, the balance points, the release, my general lack of a follow through and the outcome.
Despite all of these feelings that I can recall so vividly, so clearly, so ‘right here now’-ish – the joy of spectacular effort providing fruition, the moments of physical triumph overcoming physical exhaustion, the sweet sip of victory’s nectar… moments of “leaving it all on the field”. I can recall them when I want. There are those regrets that remind me – I don’t have to ‘try’ to remember them. You can’t escape regerets.
Regretting… all those times I’ve spent regretting.
Remembering all those things you can never forget.
- “Regretting” as recorded by Manny Stiles
As my personal regrets pertain to sports journalism and my experience on the internet there are many regrets. I jumped in head-first into what I thought were deep waters. Perhaps it was naïveté, perhaps it was my stubborn belief that people aren’t complete fakes when they can assume a sense of anonymity (yeah, I guess it IS naïveté) but the Internet seemed to me in 2006 as a deep ocean of possibilities (creatively, socially and expression-ly) only to find myself here three years later bruised, battered and beaten down from diving into crags, rocks with firmly mounted, self-important, all-knowingly and mind-numblingly witless barnacles called “bloggers”.
I regret having to explain myself – even once – in that my “online persona” just happens to be no different than my “Extranet” being. I am a mixed bag indeed but there is nothing to explain for I am really just who I am – which gleefully, is who I WANT to be. I regret taking pride in defending “my turf” instead of remaining objective to the matter – I took being a part of ArmchairGM as a badge of pride. It was fun for me to say that I was contributing to something I felt was worthwhile – a slightly less shallow pool in the urine puddle of sports websites. I regret expecting anything near the effort I put into the site from anyone else.
I regret that it’s a possibility anyone has a reason to think I am a problem, a nuisance, a detriment to this site – but that’s what the experts call a YOU problem, not a “me” problem. I’ve given far more than I ever dared to take.
I have many regrets and I'm sure everyone does.
The stupid things you do, you regret?
If you have any sense and if you don't regret them maybe you're stupid.
- Katherine Hepburn
My Sports Regrets
I regret not trying harder to get press passes to the Super Bowl in Glendale in 2007 (by “harder” I mean “at all”)
I regret not going to any of the games (1,2,6,7) of the 2001 World Series. I was not a Diamondbacks fan but I hated the Yankees, so I should have gone anyway! Oddly enough, I also regret never seeing a game at Yankee Stadium.
I regret not attending any of games 3,4,5 of the 1993 World Series as even though I was not a Phillies fan, I was living in Philly at that time.
I regret trying out for the Cubs in 1994. I tried out for a couple other teams and was scouted throughout 1992-1994 (make no mistake, I had the physical tools but I know I didn’t have the makeup or support system to have ever been more than a AA scrub) but it was at that invite camp in Quakertown, PA that I first felt “that pain” in my shoulder and was indeed the beginning of the end for my playing career. I regret that I tried to impress a handful of scouts only two days after striking out 12 and allowing 2 hits in 8 innings – which was attended by some of the same scouts. I should have never thrown a single pitch that day – but as invincible as I was then in those days I stupidly and unimpressively pitched to 8 batters. I also regret that a fellow Temple University pitcher was signed from the same camp that day – and made it all the way to a short career as a AA scrub.
I regret not shoving Jose Canseco back when he threw a shoulder into me at a baseball card convention in 1988. Sure, I was barely 15 at the time but I was already taller than him (maybe he shoved me out of envy of my height; or more likely ‘roid rage) and what was he going to do to a kid? Kids nowadays would do it with the bravery knowing a lawsuit was a slam dunk.
I regret letting my brothers and their threats of lawsuits de-rail, taint and suck the joy out of my “Tampa Bay Rays Charity Blogger” experience. Their ignorance, closed-mindedness and social retardedness was my motivation in pursuing the experience in the first place. But when the ball started rolling and luck shined on me, they changed the tone of my effort and essentially bullied me into submission. By the time I tried to pick up the pieces again in June, the damage was done and the thrill was gone. I haven’t spoken with either of those two since and I will beat their asses the next time I see them. And I won’t regret that!
I regret not harassing the Yankees clubhouse more when I had the chance.
I regret not asking Elijah Dukes to come back to my house to share some bong hits. I felt so sorry for that guy (the day of the “You Dead, Dawg!” and calling into the Tampa radio show ‘event’, when the Rays were in Phoenix) and he clearly needed someone to get him stoned. But maybe if I did, I would have regretted messing with a Bull (-sized human being in an unstable place in his life). I don’t regret stating profusely that he is NOT a bad guy or defending him (or Delmon Young for that matter).
I regret not writing more about Matt LaPorta.
I regret not doing an in-depth interview with Arizona Fall League creator and former MLB GM/multiple Exec-of-the-year award winner Rollie Hemond. I had many conversations with him during my time at AFL but never bothered to ask him to sit down so I could pick his brain and hear the tales he lived through... duh.
I regret not thoroughly interviewing Evan Longoria at Arizona Fall League in 2007 instead of just babbling, goo-goo and gah-gaahing at him. I guess that goes for J.P. Arencibia as well in 2008.
I regret not harassing Jimmy Rollins more when I had the chance (November 2008, just a few weeks after the World Series). I ESPECIALLY regret not wearing my Rays hat that night as well.
I regret not shoving my way around the track at my (so far) only NASCAR event but – to be honest – I didn’t really know what I was doing there anyway.
I regret not forcing Sports Shaman into doing a tarot reading for the entire NCAA tournament this year.
I regret throwing away a crap load of what would have been decent articles as comments when no one reads them anyway.
I regret not having more interesting and funny things to regret.
And then there’s the one regret that I have that I can still remedy: I regret making every article idea turn into an epic. I am long for words and expansive on ideas but I have learned that this one regret is lesson in distribution, not productivity. From now on, I will aim for a mix of quality and quantity without proportion; not attempting to cram both worlds into one. Unless the concept absolutely requires it, I won’t be posting more than 1,000-1,200 words in an article any more. I’ve finally given into the game everyone else plays. And I’m wasting my time spitting, pissing and vomiting my words into the wind.
Maybe that will be my next regret…
How now, my lord, why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making,
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without all remedy
Should be without regard: what's done, is done.
- Lady MacBeth as written (supposedly) by William Shakespeare in the play MacBeth
What are your great sports regrets?
So – the comments section is down there.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Open Mic Snobs vs. Karaoke Elitists/Queens: An Expose on Sucking at Sucking
I don't claim to be the greatest or most technically proficient musician or vocalist in the world but I can fake it well enough and I love to entertain a crowd. I attend open mic nights and karaoke events whenever I can. It's fun to me. I love music, I love making a total ass out of myself and these things usually occur at establishments with liquor licenses. It's a perfect storm for some wilings and stilings. But I am a world-class critic and easily dis-entertained by things most people wouldn't care to notice let alone by which to feel annoyed. Alas, there is heaven and hell, fire and ice, friction and lubrication with everything in life - so it goes with Open Mic nights and Karaoke bars.
Three things you can count on from Mr. Manny Stiles - as an artist - is as follows: something different, something interesting (at best or at worst) and something you wouldn't have ever considered doing. That's not only true for my "music" but any creation I undertake - as indicated by my writings in this blog, for example.
Maybe I don't have the same outlook or hard and fast rules of public behavior as most and maybe I don't follow all the accepted guidelines of the proper procedures for artistic conduct but I don't hold anyone to my mores and predetermined/prejudged methods either. I mean, I'm not shitting all over the stage and smearing it on myself and calling it "art" but from a theoretical and expressionist view - perhaps I am.
There's always going to be people in any organized realm that think they know better for everyone. People who think they are the "In crowd" unwittingly serving the purpose of "biggest suckers"/"beloved patrons". They occur in every realm. These are the same type of people who know every detail about the next soon-to-be-marketed blockbuster movie, the latest gossip about the most minor and forgettable Hollywood 'starlet' and all the essential manipulations to --- insert a science fiction/fantasy realm game/book/what-have-you here ----. They are consumers at large to the most devouring order. They take non-essential knowledge and apply a distorted value to it to greater fluff their listless egos.
These are the same people who despite all this intricate knowledge and minutia in wares of entertainment probably couldn't tell you the name of their next door neighbor, spend more time and money on television/computer leisure and anaerobic indoor recreation than their mental, physical or spiritual well being and certainly rarely get the opportunity to locate Dr. Grafenberg's spot. Their heaven on earth is a selfish environment of escapism and futilely non-social. Consuming the product is more important than poking one's head behind the veil of illusion. That's the way the game works - all behind the veil know how much it sucks and also know that they are out of business if everyone lost that magic ability to suspend their disbelief (or grow a sense of disbelief in some people's case).
Regardless, these people exist across the spectrum of life's experiences. I only use the movie/video game/techno nerd as an example because 1) we ALL know at least one of these dorks, 2) they are easy to pick on and 3) I'm definitely not one of them! Sure, I could have used fish geek aquariasts, green-thumbed amateur botanists, kitchen-scratchers (at-home tattoo artists), Internet reverends, bastardized Anthony Bourdains or wannabe gynecologists-at-large... all of which yes, I am guilty as self-imposed. For anyone like myself who has a passion, a hobby, an activity of instant bliss, an all-powerful obsession... we all are "specialists" without proper certification in our own little worlds. We are all pseudo-celebrities to our own fan base.
In the life-affirming realm of Open Mic night, these walking hat racks are called "snobs". These are usually guys in cover tune garage bands that have too narrow a musical palate, are overly dedicated to one finite (and typically out-dated) genre or seemingly only know how to play only the same 4-7 songs (if that) over and over ad nauseum. These people have an air of importance that rivals any bonafide Rock Star's. And it's not just an exercise in inward projection turned outward, it's not just masturbation of the ego and it's not just utter ignorance.
It's the lights. It's the stage. It's adrenaline. It's a disproportionate understanding of the universal order. It's the ability to say "Thank you" to a crowd when you really mean "Fuck you for not loving me MORE! Now pay me your meager alms, you pigfuckers!",
Most Open Mic snobs fail to realize that small moment where it's a rush to them, but a drag to us. That just because our ears are open it doesn't mean we wish we could cut them off. That a good majority of the crowd is there for one of two reasons 1) it's a bar or 2) they're just waiting for THEIR turn and - here's the kicker - just because we're clapping, it isn't necessarily "applause". Sometimes a clap is an expression of relief more than of support.
Karaoke Elitists/Queens are a similar breed to Open Mic Snobs except on the grand scheme of things they are FAR weaker in courage and further down the artistic ladder due to the nature of the beast. Most Open mic night "All-Stars" are typically engaged in helping to create the music where as the Open Mic Elitists/Queens are singing to pre-recorded tracks. Many people find it easier to sing than to play an instrument in front of a crowd. Think about it, there's a reason people play "air guitar" than lip-synching. There's far more people singing in the shower than playing a musical instrument in the shower. And save for "steering wheel drums" the same is true while driving about in the family automobile.
BUT, Karaoke Elitists/Queens are far and away more vile and disgusting creeps when it comes to their levels of self importance. Lead Vocalist Syndrome has killed many a successful band on this premise and devoured countless groups before the wheels of success ever touched the ground. Nothing succumbs to the power of a microphone in the hands of a person who fails to notice that the sound of their voice INSIDE their head (where the ear ACTUALLY functions) does differ from the sound outside their head (where our ears ACTUALLY function). It's a small bit of information to put in your pocket - it's the reason everyone seems to think their voice sounds "different" when they hear it recorded. No, Elitist/Queen THAT IS ACTUALLY YOUR VOICE being produced by your vocal cords and your ears receiving those sound waves when they are resonating further than 2-3 inches apart from each other in your gigantic, dense gourd you call a head!!!
To make matters worse - remember those movie/TV/computer "In Crowd" peoples I mentioned earlier? These morons are now being empowered by their outlets of consumption to join the fray as so-called participants. For every viewer of American Idol is another Karaoke Elitist just waiting to sip the nectar of the spotlight. For every Rock Band video game enthusiast is another otherwise fine 6-string gently weeping while gathering more and more dust. Unawareness breeds with itself and makes a nasty concoction of putrid filth for the rest of us - who care about the world in which we are participating - to sort through/tolerate/make fun of on our puny blogs to save money we would otherwise burn on therapy.
Oh gee, another drunk girl plowing through a Dixie Chicks song... awesome. Another hack painfully beating on an innocent guitar while anti-rhythmically fumbling through "All Along the Watchtower". Great. Where's my cyanide capsules when I need them? No, I'm not "better" than these people nor do I feel more righteous or more superior just because they can suck the life out of a room faster than ricin. I feel sorry for them. Sorry to the point that I wish I was dead instead of living in a world were these fucksticks will walk off stage - GLOWING - as if they just won the lottery, a Nobel prize and two Oscars at the same time; empowered to return next week with - oh, so predictably - the very same, exact bag of trick (Yes, such a delightful bag of trick) for our utter bemusement, once again. Huzzah!
To be fair, Snobs and Elitists/Queens are NOT to be confused with people of exceptional talent. people with true artistic talent and expression are welcomed to be the biggest assholes in the world as long as their production doesn't suffer the consequences. I've always believed that when it comes to true talent and proven expertise, there is ALWAYS room for entitlement - IN THAT REALM. There's no reason Michael Jordan should expect anything less than for me to fellate him in exchange for a game of H-O-R-S-E; but he has no right to expect the same from his doctor, accountant or even the incompetent buffoons working at PetSmart. Entitlement stays only in your realm.
Then there are the occasional, freek people like myself that are from the other end of the spectrum - no, the other end... like the back edge of the spectrum - genuinely talentless AND enthusiastically anti-caring of your preconceptions or judgments! I'm going up there for one purpose only - to defy the rules and to do my best to make you shit your pants laughing. I only have fun when everyone else has fun with me!
So next time I'm at your local open mic performing some variation of "Clit Licker in a Cocksucker's World", "I Gotta Kill My Fucking Cat" or "Shut Up and Blow Me" or at your favorite karaoke bar wailing out "I Touch Myself", "Genie in a Bottle" or "It's Raining Men", don't fret - you'll get a mind full of imagery you probably weren't expecting and didn't seek, a belly full of chuckles without hurting your eardrums and definitely your money's worth (mostly because I REFUSE to perform at any establishment that charges a cover charge for these events) - just buy me a drink and we'll loudly and obnoxiously criticize the snobs and Elitists/Queens together!
Three things you can count on from Mr. Manny Stiles - as an artist - is as follows: something different, something interesting (at best or at worst) and something you wouldn't have ever considered doing. That's not only true for my "music" but any creation I undertake - as indicated by my writings in this blog, for example.
Maybe I don't have the same outlook or hard and fast rules of public behavior as most and maybe I don't follow all the accepted guidelines of the proper procedures for artistic conduct but I don't hold anyone to my mores and predetermined/prejudged methods either. I mean, I'm not shitting all over the stage and smearing it on myself and calling it "art" but from a theoretical and expressionist view - perhaps I am.
There's always going to be people in any organized realm that think they know better for everyone. People who think they are the "In crowd" unwittingly serving the purpose of "biggest suckers"/"beloved patrons". They occur in every realm. These are the same type of people who know every detail about the next soon-to-be-marketed blockbuster movie, the latest gossip about the most minor and forgettable Hollywood 'starlet' and all the essential manipulations to --- insert a science fiction/fantasy realm game/book/what-have-you here ----. They are consumers at large to the most devouring order. They take non-essential knowledge and apply a distorted value to it to greater fluff their listless egos.
These are the same people who despite all this intricate knowledge and minutia in wares of entertainment probably couldn't tell you the name of their next door neighbor, spend more time and money on television/computer leisure and anaerobic indoor recreation than their mental, physical or spiritual well being and certainly rarely get the opportunity to locate Dr. Grafenberg's spot. Their heaven on earth is a selfish environment of escapism and futilely non-social. Consuming the product is more important than poking one's head behind the veil of illusion. That's the way the game works - all behind the veil know how much it sucks and also know that they are out of business if everyone lost that magic ability to suspend their disbelief (or grow a sense of disbelief in some people's case).
Regardless, these people exist across the spectrum of life's experiences. I only use the movie/video game/techno nerd as an example because 1) we ALL know at least one of these dorks, 2) they are easy to pick on and 3) I'm definitely not one of them! Sure, I could have used fish geek aquariasts, green-thumbed amateur botanists, kitchen-scratchers (at-home tattoo artists), Internet reverends, bastardized Anthony Bourdains or wannabe gynecologists-at-large... all of which yes, I am guilty as self-imposed. For anyone like myself who has a passion, a hobby, an activity of instant bliss, an all-powerful obsession... we all are "specialists" without proper certification in our own little worlds. We are all pseudo-celebrities to our own fan base.
In the life-affirming realm of Open Mic night, these walking hat racks are called "snobs". These are usually guys in cover tune garage bands that have too narrow a musical palate, are overly dedicated to one finite (and typically out-dated) genre or seemingly only know how to play only the same 4-7 songs (if that) over and over ad nauseum. These people have an air of importance that rivals any bonafide Rock Star's. And it's not just an exercise in inward projection turned outward, it's not just masturbation of the ego and it's not just utter ignorance.
It's the lights. It's the stage. It's adrenaline. It's a disproportionate understanding of the universal order. It's the ability to say "Thank you" to a crowd when you really mean "Fuck you for not loving me MORE! Now pay me your meager alms, you pigfuckers!",
Most Open Mic snobs fail to realize that small moment where it's a rush to them, but a drag to us. That just because our ears are open it doesn't mean we wish we could cut them off. That a good majority of the crowd is there for one of two reasons 1) it's a bar or 2) they're just waiting for THEIR turn and - here's the kicker - just because we're clapping, it isn't necessarily "applause". Sometimes a clap is an expression of relief more than of support.
Karaoke Elitists/Queens are a similar breed to Open Mic Snobs except on the grand scheme of things they are FAR weaker in courage and further down the artistic ladder due to the nature of the beast. Most Open mic night "All-Stars" are typically engaged in helping to create the music where as the Open Mic Elitists/Queens are singing to pre-recorded tracks. Many people find it easier to sing than to play an instrument in front of a crowd. Think about it, there's a reason people play "air guitar" than lip-synching. There's far more people singing in the shower than playing a musical instrument in the shower. And save for "steering wheel drums" the same is true while driving about in the family automobile.
BUT, Karaoke Elitists/Queens are far and away more vile and disgusting creeps when it comes to their levels of self importance. Lead Vocalist Syndrome has killed many a successful band on this premise and devoured countless groups before the wheels of success ever touched the ground. Nothing succumbs to the power of a microphone in the hands of a person who fails to notice that the sound of their voice INSIDE their head (where the ear ACTUALLY functions) does differ from the sound outside their head (where our ears ACTUALLY function). It's a small bit of information to put in your pocket - it's the reason everyone seems to think their voice sounds "different" when they hear it recorded. No, Elitist/Queen THAT IS ACTUALLY YOUR VOICE being produced by your vocal cords and your ears receiving those sound waves when they are resonating further than 2-3 inches apart from each other in your gigantic, dense gourd you call a head!!!
To make matters worse - remember those movie/TV/computer "In Crowd" peoples I mentioned earlier? These morons are now being empowered by their outlets of consumption to join the fray as so-called participants. For every viewer of American Idol is another Karaoke Elitist just waiting to sip the nectar of the spotlight. For every Rock Band video game enthusiast is another otherwise fine 6-string gently weeping while gathering more and more dust. Unawareness breeds with itself and makes a nasty concoction of putrid filth for the rest of us - who care about the world in which we are participating - to sort through/tolerate/make fun of on our puny blogs to save money we would otherwise burn on therapy.
Oh gee, another drunk girl plowing through a Dixie Chicks song... awesome. Another hack painfully beating on an innocent guitar while anti-rhythmically fumbling through "All Along the Watchtower". Great. Where's my cyanide capsules when I need them? No, I'm not "better" than these people nor do I feel more righteous or more superior just because they can suck the life out of a room faster than ricin. I feel sorry for them. Sorry to the point that I wish I was dead instead of living in a world were these fucksticks will walk off stage - GLOWING - as if they just won the lottery, a Nobel prize and two Oscars at the same time; empowered to return next week with - oh, so predictably - the very same, exact bag of trick (Yes, such a delightful bag of trick) for our utter bemusement, once again. Huzzah!
To be fair, Snobs and Elitists/Queens are NOT to be confused with people of exceptional talent. people with true artistic talent and expression are welcomed to be the biggest assholes in the world as long as their production doesn't suffer the consequences. I've always believed that when it comes to true talent and proven expertise, there is ALWAYS room for entitlement - IN THAT REALM. There's no reason Michael Jordan should expect anything less than for me to fellate him in exchange for a game of H-O-R-S-E; but he has no right to expect the same from his doctor, accountant or even the incompetent buffoons working at PetSmart. Entitlement stays only in your realm.
Then there are the occasional, freek people like myself that are from the other end of the spectrum - no, the other end... like the back edge of the spectrum - genuinely talentless AND enthusiastically anti-caring of your preconceptions or judgments! I'm going up there for one purpose only - to defy the rules and to do my best to make you shit your pants laughing. I only have fun when everyone else has fun with me!
So next time I'm at your local open mic performing some variation of "Clit Licker in a Cocksucker's World", "I Gotta Kill My Fucking Cat" or "Shut Up and Blow Me" or at your favorite karaoke bar wailing out "I Touch Myself", "Genie in a Bottle" or "It's Raining Men", don't fret - you'll get a mind full of imagery you probably weren't expecting and didn't seek, a belly full of chuckles without hurting your eardrums and definitely your money's worth (mostly because I REFUSE to perform at any establishment that charges a cover charge for these events) - just buy me a drink and we'll loudly and obnoxiously criticize the snobs and Elitists/Queens together!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Conglomerated Realmspace (200903A)
Life in a Northern Town by Manny Stiles
Traverse City, MI - In case you didn't know already, I have relocated from the Valley of the Sun to the Cherry Capital of the World, Traverse City, Michigan. I traded "it's a dry heat" for "you need to wear layers". Far, far away from any serious metropolis, between the pinky and the ring finger of the Lower Peninsula/"mitt", is a quaint, get-away-from-it-all town at the base of a smaller peninsula at the bottom of the two arms of Grand Traverse Bay.
It might as well be Canada.
Luckily (that's sarcasm) Mr. Stiles arrived in town in the dead of the deadest winter in most Local's memories. Colder, Snowier and Drearier (Yes, they are capital words in this sentence) than any Winter on record - and topping off the proverbial fun is a local feeling that not even the almighty President Obama can inspire hope ''here''. There are undertones of despair for the economy (unemployment is drastically high locally), there is little hope for the future (schools, public servant-ry and local government are threatened by cutbacks/closures and all scarily under-funded and under-supported) and the flavor of the local "sports" scene is - at least to this metropolitan-tinged author, in a newly invented word - beyondesolate.
But this is the price you pay to be "on the water" and far away from "the rat race", traffic and pollution; far away from the "ghettos", gangs and urban warfare; far away from likely terrorist targets, nuclear mishaps or imminent disasters that threaten life in the population hubs. It's ''nearly'' life as it should be - living for life's sake; living off the land; living at your own pace; life under the dome of sky and Sun. Yes, time moves slower here and what dominates the sports scene isn't the usual/typical fare.
Sure, it's easy to trash a local sports scene when the [[Detroit Lions]] are prominently involved, but even the Mighty [[Detroit Red Wings]] are a veritable blip in this town - and this is the town in which the Red Wings hold their Preseason Camp! I've met ONE die-hard Tigers fan and I'm not sure anyone follows the Pistons beyond whether they won or lost last night. Sports is the residual conversation when all the typical talk of the weather, hunting, fishing, fixing boats/snow machines/tractors/shotguns/tools/snowplows/snowblowers/other assorted vehicles, Michael Moore (he's a much ballyhooed and very disliked "local"), views on politics, Fudgies (the bastards from "Down State"), Youpers (the bastards from the Upper Peninsula) and all things religion has dried up.
It's a different fan base - an invisible glow of supreme not caring; it's as if Sports isn't one of the basic life needs! I know! Can you imagine? No, professional sports is a prime resident of Back Burnerville here in the great "Up North". I might be the only "Sports is my Crack"-head in the surrounding five counties!
The local TV sports coverage often starts out with ''High School'' Girls basketball!!! Maybe I really am "too urban" (grew up in Philly, spent nearly a decade in Phoenix) for Cherryville, U.S.A. but the only time I've ever seen High School girls basketball on the news is... well... NEVER! Snowmobile races, cross country skiing, even the local fishing and hunting reports get priority coverage over the pro sports teams in Detroit or even NASCAR - yes, even NASCAR is an after-afterthought. And I'm cool with it.
Sure, it's a change of pace; closer to the Earth and in tune with the surroundings more. Hell, I love fishing - really do (when the ice is melted)!. I love eating recently slaughtered game for dinner, I have a nice garden to tend to this year (I'm very excited about that) and I might even ride a snow machine eventually... it's kind of relaxing being disconnected from the "mainstream" media. My blood pressure is certifiably "normal", I don't wake up with the shakes for the latest "Top Story" (which always seem to be recycled/repackaged "Old" stories with a spiffy new shine) on the foul-ish four-letter network and what-used-to-be-necessary news is now a casual "meh" by all regards. I've got a new perspective on the Sports World and on life in general. I used to think "It is what it is" but now I realize "it is what you make it out to be".
Life in a Northern Town has been good for me so far. The days are slower, I'm learning more than I ever thought I would know about shotguns - without even trying - just by overhearing conversations, I'm enjoying time more and so what if Spring Training has started and it was a balmy -11 degrees (that's Fahrenheit) yesterday?
Pardon me as I get back to sorting my flannel shirts by color.
Crumbs in the 'Chair by Manny Stiles
NBA Division
*So the Suns (namely GM/Robert Sarver's Knobshiner Steve Kerr) fired Terry Porter then blamed the team for not playing tougher defense. Oddly enough, just a few measly weeks ago that same GM/Knobshiner TRADED AWAY THE TEAM'S two best defensive players (Raja Bell and Boris Diaw) for JASON RICHARDSON!!! Gotta love that anti-logic!
*Mavericks, Suns... Doesn't matter who gets that Number 8 seed in the West. Seriously, it doesn't matter!
*LeBron is at that stage where it's put up or prepare for the end. He's got a team around him that is suitable and capable enough. If he doesn't take them to the Championship this year - whether he leaves Cleveland or not - he will NEVER win a Championship. The field is ripe for picking.
*The Celtics are vulnerable (and old).
*The Magic are young and inexperienced.
*Don't let the Lakers fool you - they can win one game at a time and perhaps endure long enough to win the #1 seed in the West, but they are not built for a tough series with a dominant swing player like #23.
*Besides, the Spurs are the REAL team to beat in the West - Despite adding the human monkeywrench in the works, Drew Gooden.
*LeBron is teetering on "The Moment". He's as good as we all think he is, but if he's going to be as great as we think he should be - NOW - is the time! If he goes to another city, his star celebrity (and contract) will handcuff the franchise. Stars carry teams, but teams win Championships!
MLB Division
*I like what the Yankees and Red Sox have done in the offseason - tore up their blueprints and reacted to the Rays. The Rays are still going according to planned, even if they were one year ahead of schedule...
*The Yankees are going to struggle with cohesion (but could still win 120 games on paper) and the new additions will have to adjust to the toxicity of the Big Apple spotlight. Me thinks Tex and CC aren't exactly ultra-suited for the onslaught and will press too hard to make good impressions - or failing to make good impressions, will drown in over-weighted expectations.
*The Red Sox got old.... quick! The additions they made were of little consequence. I love John Smoltz, but 'John Smoltz, Red Sox pitcher' REEKS of the Pete Rose game. Nice knowing you, Smoltzie!
*What's weirder? John Smoltz, Red Sox, or Garrett Anderson, Braves? Guys playing that long with one franchise and leaving for another is never a winning combination.
*I know what's weirder: [[Randy Johnson]], San Francisco Giant. HOW did this take so long??? All players over 6'8" should automatically be assigned to the Giants. it just makes sense!
*Weirder yet.... Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners... Poor guy. I know striking out to end the ALDS against the Rays wasn't how you wanted to go out, but this REALLY won't end pretty. Nostalgia is over-rated, though I suppose it pays well.
*Why do I have the feeling that we'll hear more about [[Curt Schilling]] and [[Barry Bonds]] than any of us wants to, wishes to or deserves to? The only "happy ending" to their careers would be if they were locked in a small room together so they could inflate their egos until they both died and left us all alone!
*Maybe the Tigers will have a 2009 that was supposed to be their 2008?
*Can someone call the people at one of the leading toothpick manufacturers (I'm assuming there is more than one) and get Dusty Baker an endorsement deal before it's too late? Maybe it is already too late.
*The Cubs - HA HA HA HA HA Ha hahahahahahha!!! Yeah. (wipes tear from eye) Sorry, that had to be done.
*$100 says Frankie Rodriguez doesn't break the NL saves record.
*$100 says [[Jose Reyes]] is certain to start the season off with a bang! And then he'll get injured.
*The Phillies took a step backward. I know they didn't necessarily love Pat "the Twat" Burrell, but Raul Ibanez is far more myth than legend. Plus, now that Brad Lidge exercised his demons, isn't it time for him to become Brad Lidge again? Yeah, I think so. But don't think this is me rooting for the Mets, Braves or Marlins.
*What can Evan Longoria do to better his 2008? Anything Evan Longoria wants! Take note - NO Rays player had a career year! Longo, C.C., B.J., Kaz, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro... these guys ALL missed significant chunks of their respective season. A HEALTHY Rays club has no limits - hype, pressure, expectations? Throw 'em out the window if this team stays healthy in 2009. They're only getting BETTER!
*I want to like the Washington Nationals. I really do. Maybe if I start to like them, they can get good next year! Without the mad hatter, a.k.a. Jim Bowden around, it's not impossible!
*I'm glad no one made me into a Royals fan. I simply don't understand what they are pretending to do. It's not just sad, it bafflingly sad.
*Here's hoping Manny Ramirez doesn't stimulate the economy too much. I pity the Dodgers. Someone should shove a stick in them and lick their stickiness until you get to the chewy center.
*In case you missed the memo, the 1999 All-Star Reunion Tour is showing exclusively in Oakland. See? A bad economy IS good for the small-market teams! At least until May. Hope there's enough ben-gay to go around!
*The Toronto Blue Jays got better and no one will notice - except the Orioles.*The WBC is going to be a ratings screamer. If you have an ample supply of nitrous oxide and amyl nitrates on hand. I love baseball as much as anyone but I cannot force myself to get excited for this...
Special Dedication
"Goodbye, Good Friend"
It comes with sadness that I dedicate this post to my loving friend and companion who recently passed away. He was always there when I needed him and never complained (much) about me or the things I did that make me who I am. He was kind, shared his heart passionately with me and we had a special bond that I can never dream to replace or find again. As he died quietly in my arms yesterday, he took a beautiful, special piece of me with him...
He was a cherished member of my family. But after days and weeks of suffering, he finally and thankfully found his peace.
I will miss you, my family will miss you and your brother will miss you!
You were the best cat I'll ever know!
R.I.P. Ricardo Alphonso Grometti-Kombol, a.k.a. "Grommet" (2001 - 2009)
Suggestion Box
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Make a comment. You know you want to...
Traverse City, MI - In case you didn't know already, I have relocated from the Valley of the Sun to the Cherry Capital of the World, Traverse City, Michigan. I traded "it's a dry heat" for "you need to wear layers". Far, far away from any serious metropolis, between the pinky and the ring finger of the Lower Peninsula/"mitt", is a quaint, get-away-from-it-all town at the base of a smaller peninsula at the bottom of the two arms of Grand Traverse Bay.
It might as well be Canada.
Luckily (that's sarcasm) Mr. Stiles arrived in town in the dead of the deadest winter in most Local's memories. Colder, Snowier and Drearier (Yes, they are capital words in this sentence) than any Winter on record - and topping off the proverbial fun is a local feeling that not even the almighty President Obama can inspire hope ''here''. There are undertones of despair for the economy (unemployment is drastically high locally), there is little hope for the future (schools, public servant-ry and local government are threatened by cutbacks/closures and all scarily under-funded and under-supported) and the flavor of the local "sports" scene is - at least to this metropolitan-tinged author, in a newly invented word - beyondesolate.
But this is the price you pay to be "on the water" and far away from "the rat race", traffic and pollution; far away from the "ghettos", gangs and urban warfare; far away from likely terrorist targets, nuclear mishaps or imminent disasters that threaten life in the population hubs. It's ''nearly'' life as it should be - living for life's sake; living off the land; living at your own pace; life under the dome of sky and Sun. Yes, time moves slower here and what dominates the sports scene isn't the usual/typical fare.
Sure, it's easy to trash a local sports scene when the [[Detroit Lions]] are prominently involved, but even the Mighty [[Detroit Red Wings]] are a veritable blip in this town - and this is the town in which the Red Wings hold their Preseason Camp! I've met ONE die-hard Tigers fan and I'm not sure anyone follows the Pistons beyond whether they won or lost last night. Sports is the residual conversation when all the typical talk of the weather, hunting, fishing, fixing boats/snow machines/tractors/shotguns/tools/snowplows/snowblowers/other assorted vehicles, Michael Moore (he's a much ballyhooed and very disliked "local"), views on politics, Fudgies (the bastards from "Down State"), Youpers (the bastards from the Upper Peninsula) and all things religion has dried up.
It's a different fan base - an invisible glow of supreme not caring; it's as if Sports isn't one of the basic life needs! I know! Can you imagine? No, professional sports is a prime resident of Back Burnerville here in the great "Up North". I might be the only "Sports is my Crack"-head in the surrounding five counties!
The local TV sports coverage often starts out with ''High School'' Girls basketball!!! Maybe I really am "too urban" (grew up in Philly, spent nearly a decade in Phoenix) for Cherryville, U.S.A. but the only time I've ever seen High School girls basketball on the news is... well... NEVER! Snowmobile races, cross country skiing, even the local fishing and hunting reports get priority coverage over the pro sports teams in Detroit or even NASCAR - yes, even NASCAR is an after-afterthought. And I'm cool with it.
Sure, it's a change of pace; closer to the Earth and in tune with the surroundings more. Hell, I love fishing - really do (when the ice is melted)!. I love eating recently slaughtered game for dinner, I have a nice garden to tend to this year (I'm very excited about that) and I might even ride a snow machine eventually... it's kind of relaxing being disconnected from the "mainstream" media. My blood pressure is certifiably "normal", I don't wake up with the shakes for the latest "Top Story" (which always seem to be recycled/repackaged "Old" stories with a spiffy new shine) on the foul-ish four-letter network and what-used-to-be-necessary news is now a casual "meh" by all regards. I've got a new perspective on the Sports World and on life in general. I used to think "It is what it is" but now I realize "it is what you make it out to be".
Life in a Northern Town has been good for me so far. The days are slower, I'm learning more than I ever thought I would know about shotguns - without even trying - just by overhearing conversations, I'm enjoying time more and so what if Spring Training has started and it was a balmy -11 degrees (that's Fahrenheit) yesterday?
Pardon me as I get back to sorting my flannel shirts by color.
Crumbs in the 'Chair by Manny Stiles
NBA Division
*So the Suns (namely GM/Robert Sarver's Knobshiner Steve Kerr) fired Terry Porter then blamed the team for not playing tougher defense. Oddly enough, just a few measly weeks ago that same GM/Knobshiner TRADED AWAY THE TEAM'S two best defensive players (Raja Bell and Boris Diaw) for JASON RICHARDSON!!! Gotta love that anti-logic!
*Mavericks, Suns... Doesn't matter who gets that Number 8 seed in the West. Seriously, it doesn't matter!
*LeBron is at that stage where it's put up or prepare for the end. He's got a team around him that is suitable and capable enough. If he doesn't take them to the Championship this year - whether he leaves Cleveland or not - he will NEVER win a Championship. The field is ripe for picking.
*The Celtics are vulnerable (and old).
*The Magic are young and inexperienced.
*Don't let the Lakers fool you - they can win one game at a time and perhaps endure long enough to win the #1 seed in the West, but they are not built for a tough series with a dominant swing player like #23.
*Besides, the Spurs are the REAL team to beat in the West - Despite adding the human monkeywrench in the works, Drew Gooden.
*LeBron is teetering on "The Moment". He's as good as we all think he is, but if he's going to be as great as we think he should be - NOW - is the time! If he goes to another city, his star celebrity (and contract) will handcuff the franchise. Stars carry teams, but teams win Championships!
MLB Division
*I like what the Yankees and Red Sox have done in the offseason - tore up their blueprints and reacted to the Rays. The Rays are still going according to planned, even if they were one year ahead of schedule...
*The Yankees are going to struggle with cohesion (but could still win 120 games on paper) and the new additions will have to adjust to the toxicity of the Big Apple spotlight. Me thinks Tex and CC aren't exactly ultra-suited for the onslaught and will press too hard to make good impressions - or failing to make good impressions, will drown in over-weighted expectations.
*The Red Sox got old.... quick! The additions they made were of little consequence. I love John Smoltz, but 'John Smoltz, Red Sox pitcher' REEKS of the Pete Rose game. Nice knowing you, Smoltzie!
*What's weirder? John Smoltz, Red Sox, or Garrett Anderson, Braves? Guys playing that long with one franchise and leaving for another is never a winning combination.
*I know what's weirder: [[Randy Johnson]], San Francisco Giant. HOW did this take so long??? All players over 6'8" should automatically be assigned to the Giants. it just makes sense!
*Weirder yet.... Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners... Poor guy. I know striking out to end the ALDS against the Rays wasn't how you wanted to go out, but this REALLY won't end pretty. Nostalgia is over-rated, though I suppose it pays well.
*Why do I have the feeling that we'll hear more about [[Curt Schilling]] and [[Barry Bonds]] than any of us wants to, wishes to or deserves to? The only "happy ending" to their careers would be if they were locked in a small room together so they could inflate their egos until they both died and left us all alone!
*Maybe the Tigers will have a 2009 that was supposed to be their 2008?
*Can someone call the people at one of the leading toothpick manufacturers (I'm assuming there is more than one) and get Dusty Baker an endorsement deal before it's too late? Maybe it is already too late.
*The Cubs - HA HA HA HA HA Ha hahahahahahha!!! Yeah. (wipes tear from eye) Sorry, that had to be done.
*$100 says Frankie Rodriguez doesn't break the NL saves record.
*$100 says [[Jose Reyes]] is certain to start the season off with a bang! And then he'll get injured.
*The Phillies took a step backward. I know they didn't necessarily love Pat "the Twat" Burrell, but Raul Ibanez is far more myth than legend. Plus, now that Brad Lidge exercised his demons, isn't it time for him to become Brad Lidge again? Yeah, I think so. But don't think this is me rooting for the Mets, Braves or Marlins.
*What can Evan Longoria do to better his 2008? Anything Evan Longoria wants! Take note - NO Rays player had a career year! Longo, C.C., B.J., Kaz, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro... these guys ALL missed significant chunks of their respective season. A HEALTHY Rays club has no limits - hype, pressure, expectations? Throw 'em out the window if this team stays healthy in 2009. They're only getting BETTER!
*I want to like the Washington Nationals. I really do. Maybe if I start to like them, they can get good next year! Without the mad hatter, a.k.a. Jim Bowden around, it's not impossible!
*I'm glad no one made me into a Royals fan. I simply don't understand what they are pretending to do. It's not just sad, it bafflingly sad.
*Here's hoping Manny Ramirez doesn't stimulate the economy too much. I pity the Dodgers. Someone should shove a stick in them and lick their stickiness until you get to the chewy center.
*In case you missed the memo, the 1999 All-Star Reunion Tour is showing exclusively in Oakland. See? A bad economy IS good for the small-market teams! At least until May. Hope there's enough ben-gay to go around!
*The Toronto Blue Jays got better and no one will notice - except the Orioles.*The WBC is going to be a ratings screamer. If you have an ample supply of nitrous oxide and amyl nitrates on hand. I love baseball as much as anyone but I cannot force myself to get excited for this...
Special Dedication
"Goodbye, Good Friend"
It comes with sadness that I dedicate this post to my loving friend and companion who recently passed away. He was always there when I needed him and never complained (much) about me or the things I did that make me who I am. He was kind, shared his heart passionately with me and we had a special bond that I can never dream to replace or find again. As he died quietly in my arms yesterday, he took a beautiful, special piece of me with him...
He was a cherished member of my family. But after days and weeks of suffering, he finally and thankfully found his peace.
I will miss you, my family will miss you and your brother will miss you!
You were the best cat I'll ever know!
R.I.P. Ricardo Alphonso Grometti-Kombol, a.k.a. "Grommet" (2001 - 2009)
Suggestion Box
Have a special request? Want to make a suggestion or demand that Manny change his behavior to fit your weak minded ideals? Want to dispute something posted? Want to join the Conglomerate as a special guest on a future post?
Make a comment. You know you want to...
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Manny Stiles takes the Big Splash on MFK
(originally posted at monsterfishkeepers.com)
What took me so long?
Hello! You have no idea what you might be in for!
I'm obsessed with my fish. Not in a Troy McClure way, but not far from it. I study, read about, obsess over and stare at my fish for a large part of an average day. My wife, my kids and my other pets deep down inside wish they recieved the attentiveness that my aquarian friends do...
The tanks are my solace, and their inhabitants are my soap operas. I am at peace when I am cleaning a filter. I am one with ohm when I vaccum substrate. I dream in H2O. I have eyelids and I don't have gills, but sometimes... I don't have to imagine very hard to know how they would feel if I did... I was probably a fish in a past life (or two). And I most likely probably eaten by a guy just like me!
Fish is mmm, mmm good food, too!I enjoy catching (and many times releasing), gutting (and examining), cooking (Got recipes?) and eating (I can eat more than you) fish as well. And don't get me started on the topic of sushi!!!
When I die, I want to sleep with the fishes (since not too many fish would eat my ashes).
Thank God for the Fifth Day.
Obviously, I enjoy writing as well as many other hobbies (thus, "Manny Stiles") but despite my array of time consuming pursuits I look back and have no idea how I existed before I owned an aquarium!
Welcome me aboard y'all! I want to keep you as entertained as well as you have already kept me informed!!!I've been here 3 times and I LOVE this site@!!!
About me - I'm OUT there... google my user name (if you dare) - believe it all and disregard it just the same. Normally, I write about sports - I am a Tampa Bay Rays fan, but not because the are fish, nor because a ray killed Steve Irwin... long story... but I wanted to share my passion of aquaria by whirring it in my blender of Stilistic wordcrafting/destroying the typical standards for story construction. There, you have effectively been warned!
I am the "pet" of a Blue Cherax Crayfish (Carl Crawfish), adored by my other crustaceans (I have taught some of my older ghost shrimp tricks! Dave Letterman/Stupid Pet tricks, here I come!) and quality friends with my other odd arrangement of species.
If I wasn't married already and it was legal, I would marry my female Texas Cichlid "Pigger" - she is so sweet and loves me as much as I love her! She cheers me up when I am down, she loves to listen and never lets petty B.S. get between us and our dynamic relationship. Plus she never complains when I leave the toilet seat up... but she can't cook to save her life... Wifey 1, Pigger 1/2.... No doubt, I will gush disgustingly about the merits of North America's finest cichlid. And slander you with esoteric insults if you call 'em "Rio Grande Perches"... save us both the trouble and don't do it!
Anyway, prepare for the madness! I promise I really won't irritate you (too much)
__________________Excuse me as I molt my exoskeleton...
What took me so long?
Hello! You have no idea what you might be in for!
I'm obsessed with my fish. Not in a Troy McClure way, but not far from it. I study, read about, obsess over and stare at my fish for a large part of an average day. My wife, my kids and my other pets deep down inside wish they recieved the attentiveness that my aquarian friends do...
The tanks are my solace, and their inhabitants are my soap operas. I am at peace when I am cleaning a filter. I am one with ohm when I vaccum substrate. I dream in H2O. I have eyelids and I don't have gills, but sometimes... I don't have to imagine very hard to know how they would feel if I did... I was probably a fish in a past life (or two). And I most likely probably eaten by a guy just like me!
Fish is mmm, mmm good food, too!I enjoy catching (and many times releasing), gutting (and examining), cooking (Got recipes?) and eating (I can eat more than you) fish as well. And don't get me started on the topic of sushi!!!
When I die, I want to sleep with the fishes (since not too many fish would eat my ashes).
Thank God for the Fifth Day.
Obviously, I enjoy writing as well as many other hobbies (thus, "Manny Stiles") but despite my array of time consuming pursuits I look back and have no idea how I existed before I owned an aquarium!
Welcome me aboard y'all! I want to keep you as entertained as well as you have already kept me informed!!!I've been here 3 times and I LOVE this site@!!!
About me - I'm OUT there... google my user name (if you dare) - believe it all and disregard it just the same. Normally, I write about sports - I am a Tampa Bay Rays fan, but not because the are fish, nor because a ray killed Steve Irwin... long story... but I wanted to share my passion of aquaria by whirring it in my blender of Stilistic wordcrafting/destroying the typical standards for story construction. There, you have effectively been warned!
I am the "pet" of a Blue Cherax Crayfish (Carl Crawfish), adored by my other crustaceans (I have taught some of my older ghost shrimp tricks! Dave Letterman/Stupid Pet tricks, here I come!) and quality friends with my other odd arrangement of species.
If I wasn't married already and it was legal, I would marry my female Texas Cichlid "Pigger" - she is so sweet and loves me as much as I love her! She cheers me up when I am down, she loves to listen and never lets petty B.S. get between us and our dynamic relationship. Plus she never complains when I leave the toilet seat up... but she can't cook to save her life... Wifey 1, Pigger 1/2.... No doubt, I will gush disgustingly about the merits of North America's finest cichlid. And slander you with esoteric insults if you call 'em "Rio Grande Perches"... save us both the trouble and don't do it!
Anyway, prepare for the madness! I promise I really won't irritate you (too much)
__________________Excuse me as I molt my exoskeleton...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The 30 Second Promo to Spelloids: a webbing pile of blog
by Senior Emanuel Estillez, aka Dr Commento, aka the shameless self promoting prick among needles, Manny Stiles...
Enjoy...
Enjoy...
Manny Stiles accusations ARE NOT TRUE!!!!
Do NOT believe THIS Promotional material. I'm way more into transexuals than strippers and coke, first of all... Or any other sarcasm from this guy, Manny Stiles.
It is bogus hype simply to boost interest in my other blogs blogs.. Go Devil Rays
(This video is not in any shape way or form representative of the views of the Tampa Bay Deil Rays baseball organization or Major League Baseball because I'd rather they talk about BASEBALL instead)
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Manny Stiles Retires from Vanguard!
Holy Sheet! I can't believe I finally did it! Ten days short of nine years from the first day I entered as a temp! I went from processing transactions on multi-million dollar accounts to taking phone calls and placing stock and mutual fund trades for the same multi-million dollar clients. And what do I have to show for it (other than a deep knowledge of Vanguard's systems, VAST, AWD, WAVE and CINergy, an in-depth knowledge of how attendance, performance and behavioral policies are managed and TONS of scandalous information I could NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have been able to say while I was still employed there that I can now say for the right offer...) ...pretty much nothing.
I have several book ideas I can now begin to work on and of course, my beloved Devil Rays to follow - the story if you don't know , including a trip in a few weeks to Tampa, Hometown (and beloved for LONGER) Phoenix Suns to root to a Championship Parade
So I'm a stay at home Daddy, a.k.a. Mr. Mom now. It's been a day and a half and I've already done more cleaning than I did in the last 5 years combined. Here I thought that the house mysteriously cleaned itself! Mrs Stiles is a superhero.
I have several book ideas I can now begin to work on and of course, my beloved Devil Rays to follow - the story if you don't know , including a trip in a few weeks to Tampa, Hometown (and beloved for LONGER) Phoenix Suns to root to a Championship Parade
So I'm a stay at home Daddy, a.k.a. Mr. Mom now. It's been a day and a half and I've already done more cleaning than I did in the last 5 years combined. Here I thought that the house mysteriously cleaned itself! Mrs Stiles is a superhero.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Coming Back Soon... It's an all-new Manny Stiles!
My daughter drew this picture of me, I added a little touch-up, it's now another Manny Stiles logo. Note the vertical, different sized eyes...
Prepare for more spontaneous eratica! (yes, I spelled that right)
Friday, November 03, 2006
It's the least wonderful time of the year...
Once again, political season is upon us. Yippee! We get to watch hundreds of commercials of people constantly slandering their opponents, all I'm left with is the name of the opponent... Who am I supposed to vote for again?
WARNING - Here comes the reant....I can't stand it! These buffoons talk about things of the past, how they did this or that... Hey, douche bags! If you want me to vote for you, tell me what you're GOING to do! And as far as slandering your opponent because they're:
-a criminal
-an adulterer
-someone who takes cash on the side
-someone who always misses votes on the floor
-an idiot
Guess what? YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!
If you WANT to be a politician, you clearly have something wrong with you. You can say you "want to make a difference" or "want to change the world"... Guess what? YOU'RE AN IDIOT. You can make MORE change and affect the world more positively without being in a political office.
Me thinks you want to be a politician for:
-the money
-the illegal money
-the corporate interest money
-YOU'RE AN IDIOT
-the supposed prestige and power
-or possibly the money
Look... the world, our government and most decision makers are ALL stupid. People are stupid. We don't ever do what's right, we do what's right for US. If we did what's right, we'd already have hunger, cancer, AIDS and pollution eradicated. We'd have the free electricity everywhere int he world through solar collection, wind generation and get this - lightning collection. Geez, just like the guy (Edison) who paved the way for electricity usage said we should do way back before the year 1900!!!
Do you think a politician will EVER allow us to use FREE and endless resources AND give them away for FREE instead of using highly profitable (and horribly polluting) coal or even more highly profitable (and dangerously radioactive) nuclear power? Or even more highly profitable (and highly polluting and war mongering) oil??? Hell no.
Why? Because it's always been that way. Teh answers to all of our problems are SO SIMPLE that they DON'T make sense to our programmed-to-think-a-certain-way feeble little minds... What is that certain way? Don't think.
Don't think for yourself. Don't find something simpler, like collecting your rainwater to water your garden and precious green grass... Use the water from the resevoirs and from the aquafers and wells and suck the ground dry instead!!! Hell take a 500 gallon shower while you're at it, do a couple of half-loads of dishes in your dishwasher. Don't worry about the thousands of people dying around the world because they have no drinkable water, it's not your problem, right?
Don't think for yourself. Don't use a renewable resource like straw to build a house. Burn the straw, pollute the environment and use known cancer-causing and mold retaining fiberglass to insulate your house at twice the cost and a third of the effectiveness. Baled straw has an insulating factor of r50 while fiberglass is around r15. Now let the big, bad wolf know that baled straw doesn't burn. Of course, let the lumber and insulation industry just keep baled straw a big secret or laugh it off...
The answers are right before us, IDIOTS. The answers are so simple and we are so complex we'll never see it. Caveman didn't need TiVo. Egyptians didn't use computers to build the pyramids. Everything you'll ever need is right here already, yet we're looking for answers 'out there'.
Gee, just think if we took all the money we spent on going into space and fought diseases and world hunger with it instead? Where would we be today?
Where would we be if we didn't make HALF of the "blockbuster movies" (they sucked anyway) and instead used the money to support all of these worthy causes that Hollywood always SAYS they supporting? Me think AIDS would be the new smallpox and for God's sake (and every man's), breast cancer would be loooong gone!
Just think if we spent our time designing engines that run on water and have a by-product of water and oxygen instead of paying $3.00 a gallon for gas because of hyperbole and fear mongering... oh yeah, the design for the engine I describe ALREADY HAS BEEN DESIGNED. Hey, politicians WHY are we still using oil, anyway??? IDIOTS.
It "used to be" the American way to innovate and overcome obstacles as a way to provide a simpler, more effective way of life. Now we have less freedom than ever. We're tied to our cellphone, filling our SUV with 40 gallons of 94 octane or contemplating Paris Hilton's next event.
But because we're too lazy and fat to do the work up front to take care of the problems later on... of course eliminating problems before they become problems is not what humans do well. Want an example? Just take a look at Congress.
WARNING - Here comes the reant....I can't stand it! These buffoons talk about things of the past, how they did this or that... Hey, douche bags! If you want me to vote for you, tell me what you're GOING to do! And as far as slandering your opponent because they're:
-a criminal
-an adulterer
-someone who takes cash on the side
-someone who always misses votes on the floor
-an idiot
Guess what? YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!
If you WANT to be a politician, you clearly have something wrong with you. You can say you "want to make a difference" or "want to change the world"... Guess what? YOU'RE AN IDIOT. You can make MORE change and affect the world more positively without being in a political office.
Me thinks you want to be a politician for:
-the money
-the illegal money
-the corporate interest money
-YOU'RE AN IDIOT
-the supposed prestige and power
-or possibly the money
Look... the world, our government and most decision makers are ALL stupid. People are stupid. We don't ever do what's right, we do what's right for US. If we did what's right, we'd already have hunger, cancer, AIDS and pollution eradicated. We'd have the free electricity everywhere int he world through solar collection, wind generation and get this - lightning collection. Geez, just like the guy (Edison) who paved the way for electricity usage said we should do way back before the year 1900!!!
Do you think a politician will EVER allow us to use FREE and endless resources AND give them away for FREE instead of using highly profitable (and horribly polluting) coal or even more highly profitable (and dangerously radioactive) nuclear power? Or even more highly profitable (and highly polluting and war mongering) oil??? Hell no.
Why? Because it's always been that way. Teh answers to all of our problems are SO SIMPLE that they DON'T make sense to our programmed-to-think-a-certain-way feeble little minds... What is that certain way? Don't think.
Don't think for yourself. Don't find something simpler, like collecting your rainwater to water your garden and precious green grass... Use the water from the resevoirs and from the aquafers and wells and suck the ground dry instead!!! Hell take a 500 gallon shower while you're at it, do a couple of half-loads of dishes in your dishwasher. Don't worry about the thousands of people dying around the world because they have no drinkable water, it's not your problem, right?
Don't think for yourself. Don't use a renewable resource like straw to build a house. Burn the straw, pollute the environment and use known cancer-causing and mold retaining fiberglass to insulate your house at twice the cost and a third of the effectiveness. Baled straw has an insulating factor of r50 while fiberglass is around r15. Now let the big, bad wolf know that baled straw doesn't burn. Of course, let the lumber and insulation industry just keep baled straw a big secret or laugh it off...
The answers are right before us, IDIOTS. The answers are so simple and we are so complex we'll never see it. Caveman didn't need TiVo. Egyptians didn't use computers to build the pyramids. Everything you'll ever need is right here already, yet we're looking for answers 'out there'.
Gee, just think if we took all the money we spent on going into space and fought diseases and world hunger with it instead? Where would we be today?
Where would we be if we didn't make HALF of the "blockbuster movies" (they sucked anyway) and instead used the money to support all of these worthy causes that Hollywood always SAYS they supporting? Me think AIDS would be the new smallpox and for God's sake (and every man's), breast cancer would be loooong gone!
Just think if we spent our time designing engines that run on water and have a by-product of water and oxygen instead of paying $3.00 a gallon for gas because of hyperbole and fear mongering... oh yeah, the design for the engine I describe ALREADY HAS BEEN DESIGNED. Hey, politicians WHY are we still using oil, anyway??? IDIOTS.
It "used to be" the American way to innovate and overcome obstacles as a way to provide a simpler, more effective way of life. Now we have less freedom than ever. We're tied to our cellphone, filling our SUV with 40 gallons of 94 octane or contemplating Paris Hilton's next event.
But because we're too lazy and fat to do the work up front to take care of the problems later on... of course eliminating problems before they become problems is not what humans do well. Want an example? Just take a look at Congress.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Happy Halloween (Post Script)
I would have to say, this year's Halloween was the best I've ever had! Yeah, the Suns lost; big whoop it's only game one... now we know they won't be able to go 82-0. It was a GREAT Halloween for many reasons including:
*I won the Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest at work for the second year in a row!
*I got to scare the piss out of a bunch of kids (not mine)'
*My kids got to go trick-or-treating and had a ball
My 3 year old daughter dressed as a Princess AND played the role perfectly. Acting like the little princess she is... polite, courteous and absolutely thrilled to see other kids dressed up and having fun. The little girl is funny because she is completely not afraid of anything Halloweeny... She told me as the day was turning to dusk that "there would be many ghosts out tonight" and that she "is not afraid of ghosts or witches". She was watching the other kids in the neighborhood go out and she was exclaiming what they were all dressed as - "Look a Witch, Mommy! Oooh, dat one's a Pumpkin! Look, Daddy! Another Witch!!!"
My 14 month-old son earlier in the day FINALLY got his brain to click regarding this whole standing-walking perambulatory concept we all take for granted. He now "gets it" when ti comes to walking, so he'll berunnng before too long! He dressed up as a Super-baby with cape and all!
As my wife and a friend took the kids out trick or treating, I stayed at home to trick the treaters with help of my buddy John, who dressed as a Hick Farmer. He would answer the door in creepy manners and jump out at the youngsters while I peered through a window and using a microphone, some voice effects, some scary music/noise samples, a candy-laced hyper buzz and a 300 watt amplifier to scare the piss out of them!
Many kids were scared before they even got halfway up the drive! The music, noise and me bellowing "Mwuh-ha-ha!" really freeked them out! One kid inparticular was frightened so much he came up to the door by being pushed by his Mom. He was dressed as Superman so I bellowed "You're a Superhero! Don't be afraid! Superheroes LOVE candy!" and that freeked him even more! It was hilarious seeing the kids enjoy the thrill of Halloween!
There was also one little girl (I think she was a bumblebee) who came up to the door and once John opened it real fast and the wave of noise hit her, she just froze! She was solid stiff and wouldn't move! So I made some more scary noises with the effects and she stayed right there but as she opened her sack to recieve the candy, she began shaking!!! So John gave her two pieces of candy...
Meanwhile, droves of kids came to our house as my kids were out trick and/or treating. We were out of our pile of candy in 38 minutes!!! The gang of our personal candy grubbers came back just as we were hanging a "No Candy Left" sign...
But what made it so much fun was seeing the joy on my kids' faces. My son just shoved candy into his mouth (he is a serious chocoholic- he starts crying for more candy as the piece he has hits his palate!) My daughter explained over and over how she would knock on the door, say "trick or treat" they would give her candy and she would say "thank you". Maybe it was just a sheer sugar rush, but she is exuberant towards life and living and she is just so precious!
(Yeah... I could have scared her!!!)
I suppose I was just enjoying the moment due to my acute pumpkin pie overdose?!?!! I am the Two-Time Champion!!!
*I won the Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest at work for the second year in a row!
*I got to scare the piss out of a bunch of kids (not mine)'
*My kids got to go trick-or-treating and had a ball
My 3 year old daughter dressed as a Princess AND played the role perfectly. Acting like the little princess she is... polite, courteous and absolutely thrilled to see other kids dressed up and having fun. The little girl is funny because she is completely not afraid of anything Halloweeny... She told me as the day was turning to dusk that "there would be many ghosts out tonight" and that she "is not afraid of ghosts or witches". She was watching the other kids in the neighborhood go out and she was exclaiming what they were all dressed as - "Look a Witch, Mommy! Oooh, dat one's a Pumpkin! Look, Daddy! Another Witch!!!"
My 14 month-old son earlier in the day FINALLY got his brain to click regarding this whole standing-walking perambulatory concept we all take for granted. He now "gets it" when ti comes to walking, so he'll berunnng before too long! He dressed up as a Super-baby with cape and all!
As my wife and a friend took the kids out trick or treating, I stayed at home to trick the treaters with help of my buddy John, who dressed as a Hick Farmer. He would answer the door in creepy manners and jump out at the youngsters while I peered through a window and using a microphone, some voice effects, some scary music/noise samples, a candy-laced hyper buzz and a 300 watt amplifier to scare the piss out of them!
Many kids were scared before they even got halfway up the drive! The music, noise and me bellowing "Mwuh-ha-ha!" really freeked them out! One kid inparticular was frightened so much he came up to the door by being pushed by his Mom. He was dressed as Superman so I bellowed "You're a Superhero! Don't be afraid! Superheroes LOVE candy!" and that freeked him even more! It was hilarious seeing the kids enjoy the thrill of Halloween!
There was also one little girl (I think she was a bumblebee) who came up to the door and once John opened it real fast and the wave of noise hit her, she just froze! She was solid stiff and wouldn't move! So I made some more scary noises with the effects and she stayed right there but as she opened her sack to recieve the candy, she began shaking!!! So John gave her two pieces of candy...
Meanwhile, droves of kids came to our house as my kids were out trick and/or treating. We were out of our pile of candy in 38 minutes!!! The gang of our personal candy grubbers came back just as we were hanging a "No Candy Left" sign...
But what made it so much fun was seeing the joy on my kids' faces. My son just shoved candy into his mouth (he is a serious chocoholic- he starts crying for more candy as the piece he has hits his palate!) My daughter explained over and over how she would knock on the door, say "trick or treat" they would give her candy and she would say "thank you". Maybe it was just a sheer sugar rush, but she is exuberant towards life and living and she is just so precious!
(Yeah... I could have scared her!!!)
I suppose I was just enjoying the moment due to my acute pumpkin pie overdose?!?!! I am the Two-Time Champion!!!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The World Series and other Blablings
(Inhales) Yes, folks it's that time of year again!!! Fall is in the air and the Autumn classic is here again. An exciting and depressing time of year for many reasons:
-Exciting - it's the freeking World Series!!
-Depressing - these are the last baseball games until next year
-Exciting - My birthday comes every October and marks the conclusion of "Birthday Season" - aconglomerated celebration of all the family and friend's birthdays (from June to October) The big finale is today!!!
-Depressing - 11 months and 29 days til my next one (7 1/2 months 'til next birthday season)
-Exciting - even the wife and kids watch the World Series, so I don't have to watch a game alone
- Even MORE Exciting - The Yankees will be watching the series from the golf course again this year
-Depressing - FOX covers the Series again this year so Joe Suck and Tim McDipshit have to talk through the game. Since everyone and their Mama's Sister are watching, they super-dumb down everything that happens and superhype up every player's capabilities. They say things like "If he plays good in this series, it will REALLY help his team's chances" (Insightful)
- Exciting - Baseball, Football, Hockey are ALL in their regular season and Basketball is days away from starting
- Depressing - My hockey and football fantasy teams are in trouble and I forgot my basketball draft start time and was autodrafted for all but the last 2 picks.
- SUPER Depressing - I actually care about my fantasy teams?!?!?!?
- Exciting - the weather cools and the days are bee-you-tea-full! Time to get some yard work done!!!
- Depressing - Well, I live in Arizona, and I worked in the yard all day yesterday and am sunburned today.
- Exciting - Halloween is next week, the kids will have a ball!!
- Depressing - it's not even Halloween and the Christmas displays in the stores have been up over a month already!
Well, either way Fall (or as I call it here in Arizona "Spring II") is one of my 5 favorite seasons of the year!
-Exciting - it's the freeking World Series!!
-Depressing - these are the last baseball games until next year
-Exciting - My birthday comes every October and marks the conclusion of "Birthday Season" - aconglomerated celebration of all the family and friend's birthdays (from June to October) The big finale is today!!!
-Depressing - 11 months and 29 days til my next one (7 1/2 months 'til next birthday season)
-Exciting - even the wife and kids watch the World Series, so I don't have to watch a game alone
- Even MORE Exciting - The Yankees will be watching the series from the golf course again this year
-Depressing - FOX covers the Series again this year so Joe Suck and Tim McDipshit have to talk through the game. Since everyone and their Mama's Sister are watching, they super-dumb down everything that happens and superhype up every player's capabilities. They say things like "If he plays good in this series, it will REALLY help his team's chances" (Insightful)
- Exciting - Baseball, Football, Hockey are ALL in their regular season and Basketball is days away from starting
- Depressing - My hockey and football fantasy teams are in trouble and I forgot my basketball draft start time and was autodrafted for all but the last 2 picks.
- SUPER Depressing - I actually care about my fantasy teams?!?!?!?
- Exciting - the weather cools and the days are bee-you-tea-full! Time to get some yard work done!!!
- Depressing - Well, I live in Arizona, and I worked in the yard all day yesterday and am sunburned today.
- Exciting - Halloween is next week, the kids will have a ball!!
- Depressing - it's not even Halloween and the Christmas displays in the stores have been up over a month already!
Well, either way Fall (or as I call it here in Arizona "Spring II") is one of my 5 favorite seasons of the year!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Learn something new or forget something old?
"They" (yes, those bastards!) say 'you learn something new every day'...
I say - screw them (yes, those bastards!), forget something old every day!!!
Let that sink in a little bit...
I've lived life long enough to know most of the stuff that sounds like it doesn't make sense usually makes the MOST sense in the long run.
Forget something old today!
Make an effort to forget something old today. An old way of thinking, a routine of mediocrity or an outdated approach to living. Life is about adapting to change. EVERYTHING changes. If you stay the same, you fall behind.
Approach something old in a new way. Take a new route home, put your left pantleg on before your right tomorrow, scan through all the stations on the radio or TV without looking at the channel number and find something you like (probably on a station you would never suspect). It's the little things that make bigger things possible. Make a special effort to purposely do things in a new manner and see what happens...
Forget how to go through the same routine, after all where has it taken you so far? Forget how to follow the usual treaded paths, take YOUR OWN path. Forget how to think small, it's for small minded people, not YOU. Forget how to fear the path of success (the work, the effort, the risks). Forget how to fear achieving your dreams. Forget how to doubt your God-given abilities. Forget how to doubt your God.
What do you have left? Everything just becomes easier!!! Difficulties become Opportunities. Challenges open new paths to Experience. Mishaps become Blessings.
You're gonna learn stuff all the time. Do you think you've learned everything you know now in the absolute correct manner? Hell, No! You would be perfect if you did! Since the time you were born, you've been told how things are (or how they are to the people caring for you), how they're supposed to be (according to the people who 'care' about you) and how they always will be (by people who never tried any other way)... by a bunch of idiots that want nothing more than for you to be equally or more miserable than themselves.
People have spent most of your life building borders, boundaries and obstacles around you and your abilities. How many times have you been told that something you want to do or accomplish would be 'hard', 'impossible' or 'it takes a lot of luck'? F them all, go for what you want and get it RIGHT NOW!!! Otherwise, you'll be learning new things, every day in the same manner that got you where you are right now... Are you where you want to be?? (I mean in life, not about reading this blog)
Wake up! You're sleepwalking through life just like they want you to!!! Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream, MY ASS!!!
You only are issued so many sunsets in your life; How many sunsets have you missed already?? Why keep spending so many of them the same old way? Learn something new today - Forget something OLD!!!
I say - screw them (yes, those bastards!), forget something old every day!!!
Let that sink in a little bit...
I've lived life long enough to know most of the stuff that sounds like it doesn't make sense usually makes the MOST sense in the long run.
Forget something old today!
Make an effort to forget something old today. An old way of thinking, a routine of mediocrity or an outdated approach to living. Life is about adapting to change. EVERYTHING changes. If you stay the same, you fall behind.
Approach something old in a new way. Take a new route home, put your left pantleg on before your right tomorrow, scan through all the stations on the radio or TV without looking at the channel number and find something you like (probably on a station you would never suspect). It's the little things that make bigger things possible. Make a special effort to purposely do things in a new manner and see what happens...
Forget how to go through the same routine, after all where has it taken you so far? Forget how to follow the usual treaded paths, take YOUR OWN path. Forget how to think small, it's for small minded people, not YOU. Forget how to fear the path of success (the work, the effort, the risks). Forget how to fear achieving your dreams. Forget how to doubt your God-given abilities. Forget how to doubt your God.
What do you have left? Everything just becomes easier!!! Difficulties become Opportunities. Challenges open new paths to Experience. Mishaps become Blessings.
You're gonna learn stuff all the time. Do you think you've learned everything you know now in the absolute correct manner? Hell, No! You would be perfect if you did! Since the time you were born, you've been told how things are (or how they are to the people caring for you), how they're supposed to be (according to the people who 'care' about you) and how they always will be (by people who never tried any other way)... by a bunch of idiots that want nothing more than for you to be equally or more miserable than themselves.
People have spent most of your life building borders, boundaries and obstacles around you and your abilities. How many times have you been told that something you want to do or accomplish would be 'hard', 'impossible' or 'it takes a lot of luck'? F them all, go for what you want and get it RIGHT NOW!!! Otherwise, you'll be learning new things, every day in the same manner that got you where you are right now... Are you where you want to be?? (I mean in life, not about reading this blog)
Wake up! You're sleepwalking through life just like they want you to!!! Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream, MY ASS!!!
You only are issued so many sunsets in your life; How many sunsets have you missed already?? Why keep spending so many of them the same old way? Learn something new today - Forget something OLD!!!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
3rd time is the charm...
You can’t read the whole thing if you don’t read page #3.
You can't eat the whole bag without eating handful #3
You can't walk a mile in another man's shoes without taking step #3
Imagine you are standing out in the middle of a desolate nowhere. Pick a point really far away; as far away as you can see. Far off in the horizon, is this point. Go ahead and name it. Describe it. Use your imagination to make it whatever you want, but it’s still way over there
To get there, you have to take steps; probably a whole lot of them. Each one is as important as the others. Without taking every step, you cannot take ALL of the steps. If you never take step one, you are not walking. If you stop at step 2, you are no longer walking. The point where everything IS and stops being COULD BE lies at the edge of the desolate nowhere. It’s two steps closer, but you’ve stopped without reaching the point.
And that’s the point. Get it? It’s the point. Way over there; far beyond the nothingness. You’re not there, but it is. Soon you will understand. You can’t go between the middle of a desolate nowhere to the point without a little imagination. You can’t get there without vision. You can’t get there without direction. And you’ll never find a way there without reason.
You can't make ALL of the steps happen if you skip step #3.
Write your goals down. Keep it simple. Pick less than ten short-term goals. What do you want to complete? What skill do you want learn? How do you want to get better? What do you want to accomplish in the next 6 months? Pick a point far away on the horizon.
Define your goals. What are they? Why do you want to achieve them? How can you achieve them? What are the necessary steps? Take a whole minute or two and write these goals down onto a small piece of paper. Keep the paper with you all day.
Occasionally, pull the paper out. Look at your goals. What are you doing today to keep stepping towards that point on the horizon? You don’t have to concentrate on these goals. The answers will find their way to you, so stop looking. Merely being aware of your defined goals is the key. Your subconscious will follow your consciousness like a willing servant.
Be aware. That’s step one. What are you doing? What the hell are you doing? Do you know? Can you define it? Can you feel it?
Be aware. By writing your goals, you have distinguished where you want to focus your life force. Your positive energy, your focus, your good will is all pointing in the same direction. How do I know? You have defined these things. You have thought about your life and times long enough already to name that point on the horizon. You know what you want, how do you get there?
You can't eat the whole bag without eating handful #3
You can't walk a mile in another man's shoes without taking step #3
Imagine you are standing out in the middle of a desolate nowhere. Pick a point really far away; as far away as you can see. Far off in the horizon, is this point. Go ahead and name it. Describe it. Use your imagination to make it whatever you want, but it’s still way over there
To get there, you have to take steps; probably a whole lot of them. Each one is as important as the others. Without taking every step, you cannot take ALL of the steps. If you never take step one, you are not walking. If you stop at step 2, you are no longer walking. The point where everything IS and stops being COULD BE lies at the edge of the desolate nowhere. It’s two steps closer, but you’ve stopped without reaching the point.
And that’s the point. Get it? It’s the point. Way over there; far beyond the nothingness. You’re not there, but it is. Soon you will understand. You can’t go between the middle of a desolate nowhere to the point without a little imagination. You can’t get there without vision. You can’t get there without direction. And you’ll never find a way there without reason.
You can't make ALL of the steps happen if you skip step #3.
Write your goals down. Keep it simple. Pick less than ten short-term goals. What do you want to complete? What skill do you want learn? How do you want to get better? What do you want to accomplish in the next 6 months? Pick a point far away on the horizon.
Define your goals. What are they? Why do you want to achieve them? How can you achieve them? What are the necessary steps? Take a whole minute or two and write these goals down onto a small piece of paper. Keep the paper with you all day.
Occasionally, pull the paper out. Look at your goals. What are you doing today to keep stepping towards that point on the horizon? You don’t have to concentrate on these goals. The answers will find their way to you, so stop looking. Merely being aware of your defined goals is the key. Your subconscious will follow your consciousness like a willing servant.
Be aware. That’s step one. What are you doing? What the hell are you doing? Do you know? Can you define it? Can you feel it?
Be aware. By writing your goals, you have distinguished where you want to focus your life force. Your positive energy, your focus, your good will is all pointing in the same direction. How do I know? You have defined these things. You have thought about your life and times long enough already to name that point on the horizon. You know what you want, how do you get there?
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Return of the Madness is Inevitable! Prepare Yourself Semi-Adequately
Manny, Manny, Manny... what the hell is going on here???
Damn, I've been absent from my blog WAY too long! It's not for a lack of busy-ness. Let's see: Among other seemingly bad omens, bad breaks and bad metaphors; my computer crashed (Thank you, Microsoft; you foresight-less pricks!) and I lost EVERYTHING on it, had to rebuild 100%. That sucked. Kid's pictures - gone. Wedding pictures - gone. Vacation photos - gone, 11+ hours of home-recorded, remixed original music - gone!
If it wasn't for me realizing that I am NOT like all the other kids in the stockbroker field/the soulless corporation I attend for my daily soul-conforming and realizing I am clearly NOT pursuing my creative dreams by educating stupid people on how to get richer than I can ever be answering telephone calls, I would be depressed... Oh yeah, my wife quit her job last week for all the right reasons - I AM proud of her for having steadfast morals, and keeping proper priorities in life... (anyone need a personal trainer???) I just wish we could have crafted a wily lawsuit out of it first.
You know, kids get hungry (Eff you, Latrell Sprewell), bills need paid regularly and shoes get outgrown - my size 15's particularly! Let's see... American dream? check. Mortgage through the nostrils? check. Credit card bills through the wazoo? check. Ahhh, credit is overrated! You can't take it with you, right?? So a little struggle now build character; afterall, we'll LAUGH about this years from now (hope I get a sweet cellmate in debtor's prison - "that broke ass is MINE, bitch!")
But for every obstacle that seems like a slime covered rock in the pond of life, there is always the blessing side where all the goodies lie in wait... mmm, tasty invertabrates. Another bad analogy since two of my aquarium inhabitants; a red-claw crab and a green spotted puffer (red and green, yeah! more metaphors), have gone to the big lake in the sky. (I've been busy practicing my pet funeral ceremonies, for sure!). Of course my 3 year-old daughter keeps asking where "Mr. Krabs" and "Mrs. Puff" went to... (hey, I named them; I'm a SpongeBob fan too).
Anyway, half-full or half-empty, it's STILL just a freeking glass. Come to think about it, a half-empty glass of scotch would be a very good thing right now.
I've chosen to see the blessings in life.
- I didn't lose my kids, my wife or my memories just the pictures of them. I have about 20% backed up, mostly the better ones.
- Wouldn't be so bad if my digital camera wasn't as broke as I am! Meanwhile a Wolbouti tribesman would trade me 50 ebola-ridden acres of his inheritance for the shiny trinket even if it is worthless to me at this point. I guess it's not so bad.
- I didn't lose 11 hours of homemade music, I gained the opportunity to make those songs better! Or forget them altogether - I hang onto too manny things as it is! OK, GOD, lesson learned... thanks!
- Since I realized my employer doesn't want to utilize my creativity, I no longer care for my employer, I have felt a burden lifted from my being. I have stayed there through 9 years of fear. Stupid fear. "What will I do?" fear. That's not me... 9 years is NOT me. As with all things, getting fired WOULD be a blessing! What would I do? What I always do... figure it out, of course. Times can be tough, as long as I'm alive, I'll be tougher... eff it, that's why!
In the meantime, I bide my time, enjoy the meager benefits that I provide for my family and I stop waiting for opportunity to ride in on a shiny white horse. I am going horse hunting, donkey slaying, goat wrestling if I have to. The time has come not only to take a shot, but to fill the sky with shots in every direction. No opportunity will be laughed off, excused away or taken as unworthy. Everything is opportunity to me now, and opportunity is everything.
- I didn't lose 2 colorful pets, I gained the ability to enjoy the rest of my gilled friends even more; to be honest - the puffer was an a$$hole to all the other creatures (liked to eat my fancy shrimp and snails) and the crab was just plain dumb (even for a crab, DUMB)
- my wife can now begin chasing her dreams as she's no longer tied down to a corporate fustercluck (ANYone need a personal trainer? She can send you workout seesions via e-mail!) . Not only do I have your back sweetie, but I'm right behind you!!!
- more importantly I decided it IS TIME to chase my dreams:
I will write with a passion never before emitted from the Stilesmaster.
I am currently actively pursuing a literary agent I can semi-trust/mesh with to FINALLY get to the task of pushing my more complex story ideas from my brain onto a paycheck. Those 'movie ideas' I've been fermenting might as well be books first at this rate... what have I been waiting for anyway?
Well, it's not like I haven't been writing at all - I still crank 'em out on ArmchairGM.com.
So prepare for the Madness all eight of my loyal readers (that's me, 2 others and all of our 'other' schizophrenic personalities), The time is upon us to open up the windows and clear this stale air out!
Join me in the battle. Take every opportunity to make everything opportunity. Seize, beseige and rampage against the things you do that you "don't do". Be you, don't be what they want you to be...that's what they want. What do you want?
Go get it!
Damn, I've been absent from my blog WAY too long! It's not for a lack of busy-ness. Let's see: Among other seemingly bad omens, bad breaks and bad metaphors; my computer crashed (Thank you, Microsoft; you foresight-less pricks!) and I lost EVERYTHING on it, had to rebuild 100%. That sucked. Kid's pictures - gone. Wedding pictures - gone. Vacation photos - gone, 11+ hours of home-recorded, remixed original music - gone!
If it wasn't for me realizing that I am NOT like all the other kids in the stockbroker field/the soulless corporation I attend for my daily soul-conforming and realizing I am clearly NOT pursuing my creative dreams by educating stupid people on how to get richer than I can ever be answering telephone calls, I would be depressed... Oh yeah, my wife quit her job last week for all the right reasons - I AM proud of her for having steadfast morals, and keeping proper priorities in life... (anyone need a personal trainer???) I just wish we could have crafted a wily lawsuit out of it first.
You know, kids get hungry (Eff you, Latrell Sprewell), bills need paid regularly and shoes get outgrown - my size 15's particularly! Let's see... American dream? check. Mortgage through the nostrils? check. Credit card bills through the wazoo? check. Ahhh, credit is overrated! You can't take it with you, right?? So a little struggle now build character; afterall, we'll LAUGH about this years from now (hope I get a sweet cellmate in debtor's prison - "that broke ass is MINE, bitch!")
But for every obstacle that seems like a slime covered rock in the pond of life, there is always the blessing side where all the goodies lie in wait... mmm, tasty invertabrates. Another bad analogy since two of my aquarium inhabitants; a red-claw crab and a green spotted puffer (red and green, yeah! more metaphors), have gone to the big lake in the sky. (I've been busy practicing my pet funeral ceremonies, for sure!). Of course my 3 year-old daughter keeps asking where "Mr. Krabs" and "Mrs. Puff" went to... (hey, I named them; I'm a SpongeBob fan too).
Anyway, half-full or half-empty, it's STILL just a freeking glass. Come to think about it, a half-empty glass of scotch would be a very good thing right now.
I've chosen to see the blessings in life.
- I didn't lose my kids, my wife or my memories just the pictures of them. I have about 20% backed up, mostly the better ones.
- Wouldn't be so bad if my digital camera wasn't as broke as I am! Meanwhile a Wolbouti tribesman would trade me 50 ebola-ridden acres of his inheritance for the shiny trinket even if it is worthless to me at this point. I guess it's not so bad.
- I didn't lose 11 hours of homemade music, I gained the opportunity to make those songs better! Or forget them altogether - I hang onto too manny things as it is! OK, GOD, lesson learned... thanks!
- Since I realized my employer doesn't want to utilize my creativity, I no longer care for my employer, I have felt a burden lifted from my being. I have stayed there through 9 years of fear. Stupid fear. "What will I do?" fear. That's not me... 9 years is NOT me. As with all things, getting fired WOULD be a blessing! What would I do? What I always do... figure it out, of course. Times can be tough, as long as I'm alive, I'll be tougher... eff it, that's why!
In the meantime, I bide my time, enjoy the meager benefits that I provide for my family and I stop waiting for opportunity to ride in on a shiny white horse. I am going horse hunting, donkey slaying, goat wrestling if I have to. The time has come not only to take a shot, but to fill the sky with shots in every direction. No opportunity will be laughed off, excused away or taken as unworthy. Everything is opportunity to me now, and opportunity is everything.
- I didn't lose 2 colorful pets, I gained the ability to enjoy the rest of my gilled friends even more; to be honest - the puffer was an a$$hole to all the other creatures (liked to eat my fancy shrimp and snails) and the crab was just plain dumb (even for a crab, DUMB)
- my wife can now begin chasing her dreams as she's no longer tied down to a corporate fustercluck (ANYone need a personal trainer? She can send you workout seesions via e-mail!) . Not only do I have your back sweetie, but I'm right behind you!!!
- more importantly I decided it IS TIME to chase my dreams:
I will write with a passion never before emitted from the Stilesmaster.
I am currently actively pursuing a literary agent I can semi-trust/mesh with to FINALLY get to the task of pushing my more complex story ideas from my brain onto a paycheck. Those 'movie ideas' I've been fermenting might as well be books first at this rate... what have I been waiting for anyway?
Well, it's not like I haven't been writing at all - I still crank 'em out on ArmchairGM.com.
So prepare for the Madness all eight of my loyal readers (that's me, 2 others and all of our 'other' schizophrenic personalities), The time is upon us to open up the windows and clear this stale air out!
Join me in the battle. Take every opportunity to make everything opportunity. Seize, beseige and rampage against the things you do that you "don't do". Be you, don't be what they want you to be...that's what they want. What do you want?
Go get it!
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