Procrastination Pro

If procrastination was a sport, I'd be all pro first team. If it was a disease, I'd be the case study. If there were PA (Procrastination Anonymous) meetings, I'd be running them, at the last second. My name should be next to the dictionary definition of procrastination. I'm a procrastinator, always have been. It's one of my faults as a student and as a person in general. The saying "why put off what you could do today" goes more like this for me, "why do today what you could put off". Unfortunately, this method really stresses my time and mind when nearing the end of the semester or in this case the end of a class.

This summer I took two classes, trigonometry and composition two. Both of them were online classes and I decided to wait until the last day or two to do the major chunks of the classes (the final and a research paper). So this is why I haven't blogged recently, because my procrastination pushed me towards focusing on finishing my classes before my vacation. Long story short, I got them finished and am happy with where I finished in the classes.

More importantly, my mom, dad, and me are taking a vacation in about 7 hours from now. And I still haven't packed, imagine that. We are going to Scottsdale, Arizona for 4 days. I am not sure what our vacation will consist of besides playing on some beautiful golf courses. But other than that, I am not much of a planner, so I figure we'll do whatever we can find when we get there. I will keep you up to date on what we've accomplished when we get there.

Other than that, work is wrapping up in about a week (thank God!) and I've invested in my own tennis racquet. Unfortunately it didn't help me against my 50 year old dad, who seemingly beat me in his first time out in years, go figure. Hope I have better luck in golf, but I'll need a lot of luck. But for now, and I mean right now, I have to go pack for this trip before the plane takes off.

Stay tuned, I'll be updating more frequently now with no classes and limited work people.

Trying New Things

The saying "you don't know if you like/dislike something, unless you've tried it" can hold true for almost anything. Sports, food, movies, books, TV shows, drinks, people, and even clothes. Ok maybe not clothes, we can usually make a good judgement of what we'll look like in foreign clothing. But the saying can still be true for almost anything else, except drugs kids, JUST SAY NO! Trying new things that you previously thought you could never like, could end in the polar opposite. For example, here are a few things that I've tried lately that I thought I'd never like, and ended up enjoying.

1. Mushrooms: When I was a kid, I wouldn't touch mushrooms. I'm not sure the exact reason but I think it had to with the fact they grow almost anywhere. I never realized as a kid that you don't eat the mushrooms that grow in your yard, but avoided them none the less when I did. I started, like a lot of things, eating mushrooms at college. It started on pizza and has grown to salads, steaks, fajitas, and pitas of course. 
2. Physical activity: Ok, I realize I have played sports and have been active for almost my entire life. But that physical activity wasn't for the purpose I use it for now. Before, going to the gym was a part of getting ready for games, a place to hang out with friends and most importantly a place to get away from school. Now, physical activity is a way to manage stress. I don't have any games to get ready for but it still can be a place to hang out with friends and a place to get my mind away from a huge exam or midterm. 
3. Reading: Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed reading a good book but never made the time or effort to do so regularly. I am now trying to do so. My reasoning towards making this attempt is that I've always been told that a good writer has read many other writers' works. Also, reading can broaden your mind and inform you on ideas that you never would have been exposed to otherwise. The third reason goes along with the second, and that I'm trying to specifically read sports related books. Since I want to get into sports writing, I figured the more knowledgeable I am about said sports, the better writer I'll be (hopefully).  I'm currently reading the book written about Derek Jeter, called The Captain. I'll let you know how it is. 
4. Frisbee Golf: Considering we have a frisbee golf course in our back yard, not literally but basically it is, it would make sense that I would have tried playing it before say...a week ago. But as it is, I just started playing after years of watching people fling frisbees behind my house. Why after all this time you ask? Boredom mostly, but boredom that led to a new game I play so I'm not complaining (at the moment). I'm not great at it, yet, but I am better already than I am at regular golf (not saying much) and it's a cheap sport. All you need is three frisbees: a driver, mid-range, and putter. That is of course if you keep the frisbee out of the trees which I have had trouble doing so far. 

I can't put more than 4 new things on my plate at a time without something falling off, and who wants that. So this all I'm taking on for now but I do have somethings I'd like to at least try in the future. Things like cottage cheese (yucky), watching less TV (not likely), and going to church more regularly (hopeful) are some things in the batters box for me. We'll see if I strike out or hit a home run on my new hobbies, hopefully the latter. Until then, stay tuned

Coming Up

Time for music of the week. This week is two up and coming rappers, Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. I chose these two because they both came up through the Internet, a ever increasing trend in music. So enjoy.

Donald Trump

First couple are from Mac Miller. He is a very unique rapper and not only because he is white. His lyrics are elaborate and his style is laid back, not the normal flash people expect from rappers.

Senior Skip Day

Knock Knock

Next couple are from Wiz Khalifa, a bigger name in music but still farely new to the rap game.

Roll Up

Black and Yellow

This Plane

TGOD people, stay tuned

The Big 2-0

I don't remember my first birthday. I don't think anyone does. So you can imagine how my 20th Birthday felt this Monday. If you imagined it felt transcendent and a leap out of teenage-hood and into adulthood, you were way off. My 20th felt like any other day, minus being treated like a king at home, but just because the day wasn't as significant as it's supposed to be doesn't mean the year leading up to this day was insignificant. Because it wasn't. I can honestly say that in the past year, I've grown more intellectually and matured more than any other year of my life.

This growth came with experiences and change. The change was moving out of my house to go to college and "be on my own" for the first time in my life. Sure, I wasn't financially on my own but I was on my own in about every other category. So I figured I'd make a list (I love lists) of things I had to do/learn to do while on my own. Hope I didn't forget anything.

• I had to wake myself up for class: This was a learning process, I used the snooze option on my phone alarm a world record amount first semester. Needless to say that I missed a few classes. But I figured out a system to wake myself up. I started to put my phone far enough away from my bed that I can't reach it but close enough so that I can hear it. This scheme has worked well so far, beside the occasional 'wake up, grab phone, run back to bed!'. 
• I had to learn to study: For real! I knew how to "review" from high school, but never truly knew how to study until my first college exam, more specifically after my first exam. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to school so bombing a test really hit me hard. But I made adjustments, changed my time maintenance, and learned how to be successful in college. 
• I had to learn to manage my time: Napping all day doesn't work. Playing Xbox all day doesn't work. Watching Netflix everyday doesn't work. Doing all of these things when you have time and have taken care of other more important issues (papers, studying, etc.) does work. This was a huge key in having success in school. 
• I had to learn to live with someone else: I forgot what it was like to have to share a living space with someone else, let alone a 20 square foot room. But I'm a pretty easy going person to be around and got lucky enough to get a pretty good roommate so this was not a hard area to change. 
• I had to learn to keep in shape: I don't care who you are, everyone stresses and everyone has a different approach to dealing with their stress. Some drink, some run, some lift, some smoke, some read, some just bottle it inside but everyone deals with it somehow. How you deal with this stress determines how healthy you'll be. I tried a multitude of things to deal with stress but the best stress reliever I found was working out. It felt good after a long day of class or working for a class to go sweat and get everything off your mind. 
• I had to learn how important family really is: Not being able to see my parents everyday was a bit weird to me at first and there is only so much a phone call can do. You can catch up and talk about what has been going on in their lives but there is just something different about seeing their faces. So I try to take advantage of anytime I get with my family, one of the best things I have ever done. 

I'm sure I missed some things I missed but I got a whole year to gather my thoughts for next year's birthday wrap-up. P.S. Only 364 more days until my 21st birthday! I'm thinking Vegas trip, who's coming with me?

Wish List

I figured since my birthday is coming up (tomorrow), that I'd put together, what I consider to be, a very reasonable wish list. Sure most of it isn't going to happen, but that's why it's called a wish list people!

• I wish I could be tan without sitting in 110 degree weather for multiple hours, killing my skin.
• I wish money really did grow on trees. 
• I wish there was a public pool free of obese, tattooed, and white-trash people
• I wish I'd win the lottery, I feel like I could do some serious good with 57 million. 
• I wish that gas prices weren't as unstable as a toothpick house. 
• I wish all athletes were like Drew Brees (Read his book). 
• I wish that I was a morning person (sometimes). 
• I wish that I managed my time better. 
• I wish that I could read minds, or people wouldn't play mind games. 
• I wish that millionaires and billionaires could sit down and figure out what is honestly fair, so that fans like me won't be stuck with nothing but college athletics to watch (NBA and NFL). 
• I wish that Herm Edwards would still be coaching, so I'm not forced to watch him on Sportscenter. 
• I wish that Terelle Pryor will open his own line of "I'm Sorry" sweater vests, just because he can. 
• I wish that I had my own pool, so the previous pool wish would be obsolete. 
• I wish the radio didn't play the same ten songs throughout the day. 
• I wish Bud Selig would come to his senses and not make the All-Star game for home field advantage of the World Series. 
• I wish that Mayweather and Pacquiaou would fight.
• I wish that Barry Bonds and any other athletes that have cheated using PED's, would admit it, the fans have a right to know. 
• I wish that the NCAA would figure out how to stop the "dirtiness" going on in college football and basketball, instead of just punishing those caught breaking the rules. 
• I wish that people always hate the Yankees but love players that do things the right way, like Derek Jeter. 
• I wish the best for the family of the man who died after falling at a Rangers game, a truly tragic story. 
• I wish the Twilight series is never put in the same light as the Harry Potter saga, Harry would destroy Edward. 
• I wish I didn't need a GPS to go places. 
• I wish it was football season already! 
• I wish I didn't think I could solve all the world's problem's after some liquid encouragement and not remember what my solutions were the next day. 
• If nothing else, I wish for another year to live and to spend with my great family and friends. That would be the greatest gift of all. 

Wilfred

Ever since the TV show Lost ended, The Office fell apart, and Two and a Half Men went through it's tirades with Charlie Sheen, I was left with minimal TV to keep up with. I got into a few shows as a result of this. Some are new like Wilfred and Necessary Roughness while other's are a few seasons in, like Weeds and Son's of Anarchy. I got into Weeds, which is a show about a Mom and her kid's who lose their father due to a heart attack, because most of the seasons are available on Netflix. The mother is having troubles finding a means to an end to pay many bills, but finds a knack in selling marijuana to the suburban town she lives in. It's a dystopian show, where everything that can go wrong, does. It's a comedic drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you anticipate the next episode minutes after the end of the previous one. Son's of Anarchy is a show on FX about a biker gang that run's a small town in California. They own/pay off anything that stand's in their way but can't pay off rival gang's or government agencies that prove to be the antagonizers in the storyline. It's a more violent but still dramatic show that will make you choose favorite characters and get involved with those characters like they were real. 


But since Weeds is a Showtime production and I don't get Showtime, I have to wait until each season comes out on DVD to keep up. I've gone through the first two season's of Son's of Anarchy, twice, on Netflix, and am waiting impatiently for the third season to come out. So without these two show's on my weekly watch list, I've had to look for new show's. Luckily, I've found a couple of shows that are worth the watch. 


Wilfred is probably my new favorite show. The idea behind it deserves five stars by itself, but the acting complements it perfectlyWilfred is a half-hour, live-action comedy about "Ryan," a young man struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with "Wilfred," his neighbor’s canine pet. Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest, Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him. I would highly recommend this show, if you don't laugh throughout the show, there's probably something wrong with you. It's on Thursday's on FX at 9 p.m. CT. 


The next show I've started watching is Necessary Roughness. It is a show about a therapist that get's involved with people with serious problems while trying to deal with her issues at the same time. The main character, Dr. Dani Santino  seems to have it all figured out: she's got a beautiful home, a successful husband, two great kids, and a satisfying career as a psychotherapist. But when she catches her husband cheating, Dani's perfect world begins to unravel, and she is forced to find a way to keep her family, her finances and her sanity intact. Luckily, a chance encounter with the trainer of the local pro football team offers Dani a chance to show off her counseling skills, and before she can say "Hail Mary," Dani has taken on the team's star wide receiver as a patient and become the most sought-after therapist on Long Island.Now, high-profile clients from athletes to entertainers to politicians are clamoring for Dani's unique brand of therapy during their moments of crisis. But though her career is reenergized, Dani soon discovers that balancing her workload and the new demands of single motherhood won't be easy. With two teenage kids driving her crazy, an obnoxious ex-husband stirring up trouble, and desperate patients constantly showing up on her doorstep, one thing's for sure: from here on out, Dani's going to have plenty of issues to tackle. This show is only a couple of episodes in but I've enjoyed them both and learned a thing or two at the same time. 

If you haven't seen the commercials for the new law show, Franklin and Bash, you don't watch much TV, because they are on all the time everywhere. I like the show so far but don't love it by any means. It will have to start to impress me more on a weekly basis for me to follow it more closely but I'll watch it when I have time. Here's a brief description of the show and what all the buzz is about. When they're not hanging out at their favorite hot dog stand pontificating on what they'd go through to enjoy a night with their favorite female celebrities, Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) are chasing down their latest clients...sometimes literally. With business cards in hand, they're ready to nab a client within seconds after a car accident, arrest for solicitation or any other incident where their legal services may be needed. Once in the courtroom, they show their flair for the dramatic and the shocking. Peter has a knack for connecting with jury and judge, while Jared loves sticking it to authority every chance he gets. Despite their bad-boy antics, brash presentation and devil-may-care attitudes, Jared and Peter are good lawyers who are willing to do anything for a client, no matter who the client might be. That quality catches the attention of Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell), a Renaissance man and the patriarch of Infeld Daniels, one of the top law firms in Los Angeles. He sees a lot of himself in the young men and decides to recruit the pair to bring a fresh energy to the firm. Jared and Peter are joined by their two legal aides, the brilliant, brassy Carmen (Dana Davis) and the agoraphobic, verminophobic Pindar (Kumail Nanjiani). Infeld's decision to take on fresh talent doesn't sit well with his nephew, Damien Karp (Reed Diamond), a lawyer who has his own plans for the firm and a particularly shifty way of doing business. The arrival of Jared and Peter also threatens Karp's romantic - albeit celibate - relationship with Hanna Linden (Garcelle Beauvais), a lawyer who takes an immediate liking to Jared. In their new digs at Infeld Daniels, Jared and Peter handle a variety of clients, from a woman fired for being too beautiful to a family feud over a cherished baseball. But their story is really about the incredible friendship they've built and how their relationship is challenged now that they find themselves working in a more corporate atmosphere. Only time will tell if these devoted buddies can survive in this new environment. 

That about wraps up what I've been watching, TV wise, this summer. One more, if your still reading, is Tosh.0. It's a highly inappropriate show that entails showing youtube and video clips from the internet and making fun of them. Daniel Tosh is the host and he is the perfect fit for it. The show will make you cry laughing but can make you say "wtf?" as well. That's all I got on the TV scoop, stay tuned. 

Endangered Species

Imagine the jungle without it's king. Imagine the sea without the killer whale. Imagine Braveheart without Mel Gibson. What would the elimination of all these things result in? One word, boring! No one wants to watch a Gazelle prance around with no threat of danger, other than running into quick sand. No one wants to watch Seal's act like they own the water and the beach with no consequences. And does anyone want to see anyone else rally the Scottish troops other than Mel Gibson? (not including King Leonitus) Just the same, most people don't want to watch golf without the man who rejuvenated to a popularity it's never seen and became the most polarizing athlete in the world. If you haven't caught onto my heavy hinting, I'm talking of course of Tiger Woods. This is unfortunately, what the PGA tour is having to deal with over the last two years, the absence of Tiger Woods on and off the course.

This all started of course, when the tabloid media blew up the stories of multiple affairs that Tiger was involved in. That on top of a bum knee and achilles, which he originally described as "minor", have kept him out of the winner's circle for the last two years. His head isn't right, his swing isn't close, and his body is beat up. No one knows when he'll be back, he doesn't even know. All he has repeatedly told the public is that he will not return until his body is completely healed. The problem is that he also said he's been playing in pain for many years. So how long will it take for him to completely heal? Or will he ever completely heal? Can the man whose life has been all about golf for the last decade or so keep himself off the course long enough to get his body back to normal? How long will he watch these young pups come up and break Major records (Rory), while at the same time the media dubs them the next Jack Nicklaus, before he let's his competitiveness overcome him and he tells his doctor to shut it.

The questions could go on and on. No one knows the answer: not me, not Andy North, not Hank Haney, and not even Tiger himself. No one knows what is going on inside of Tiger's head because he has not let anyone in. This is why I think the scandal sent him off the deep end, he is a very personal person and when the whole world knows your marital problems, it can get to you.

Even in the last two years, when Tiger has been on the course, he hasn't been feared like the Tiger who made golfers' necks sore from checking the scoreboard every five minutes and like the Tiger who made golfers' wear ear plugs so they couldn't hear the roar of the massive crowd after Tiger sank a 25 ft. putt. Now the golfer's aren't afraid, the gazelle don't fear the king of the jungle. He's lost his intimidation factor along with his private life, swing, mental and physical health.

What's next for Tiger? That question is unanswerable. In my opinion, he'll sit out this year and attempt to come back next year with a rejuvenated swing, healthy knee and achilles, and hopefully a Major championship. Hell, Tiger might be happy with just a tournament win, seeing how he hasn't won in 2+ years. Will we hear later this year that he'll need surgery, again? Will everyone eventually believe that Tiger is done and that his chase at Jack his turned into a good story gone terribly wrong, until Tiger believes it himself. We won't know without time. Tiger could come out next year and win a couple majors or he could go through the same thing he's been through the last couple of years. Either is just as likely as the next.

One thing is for certain, Tiger will have to make adjustments in his swing and his mind set. He will have to realize that players are not going to drop dead at the sight of him on the leader board (Y.E Yang). Tiger is going have to actually hunt golfers down, be the Tiger and go and get the Gazelle. He is going to have to stop thinking and let his natural instincts take over, before he goes from the Endangered Species list to Extinct.

Stay tuned

What's in my ear

I love music. It's definitely one of my hobbies, almost to the point of obsession. I don't just listen to one type of music either; I'll listen to about anything that catches my ear, anything from rap, country, rock, classics, and even though I hate to admit it, pop. Because music is such a large part of my life, I figured I would put a few songs up every week that have caught my ear. Since listening to a song can get my attention, it's no wonder that adding video to that song would get me addicted to it even more. Music videos are a new obsession of mine, I feel that they complete the picture that the artist is trying to paint in their music. So the song's I post every week will be music video's instead of just the audio version, so enjoy the first round.

The latest artist I've came to enjoy is Lupe Fiasco and his new album Lasers. Anyone who enjoy's music that makes you think and is inspirational at the same time, will love this album. These two song's are my favorite from the album.

The Show Goes On

Words I Never Said

Both these song's are great in my opinion, they show that their is good in rap, while at the same time showing what is great about Lupe, his positive outlook, strive to get better, and to help people less fortunate.

The next song is a song by Diddy, aka Sean Combs, aka P-Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, and any more names he's been through in his long haul through the rap game. It's a song about him getting his life back together after all the rough patches he's been through.

I'm Coming Home

The last song I'll post this week is a favorite of mine; mostly because it includes my favorite artist, Eminem. It's a song with Eminem and Dr. Dre, where Eminem is rapping to Dr. Dre, trying to revive him back into the rap life he's been a part of for decades. The video is a true sign of the genius minds of Dr. Dre and Eminem both, not to mention the beautiful voice of Skylar Grey, who was also a common denominator in most of these songs. Enjoy and stay tuned.

I Need a Doctor

Weekend Wrap-Up

For the first time in my somewhat short life, I got the opportunity to dog-sit. I've babysat before but never had to watch dogs, so didn't know what to expect. Logically, I thought it would be much easier to watch two dogs than actual humans. Now I wasn't wrong, it is easier, but it's definitely no cake walk. I learned a few tricks about taking care of these dogs, if I were ever to have to do it again.

1. Distractions: If you need to get something accomplished, get the dogs out of the room, or keep them occupied, give them something to keep their mind on. For example, bones work perfectly; one bone can buy you an hour of peace and quiet. Food is also another distractor, unfortunately they eat their food faster than Hummers eat gas, so time is limited. Chew toys also can work, but most of the time they'll want you to play with them, so it defeats the purpose. 
2. Walks: These dog's have a lot of energy, so they need somewhere to burn this energy. I found that fetch is a never-ending game so the best way to constructively use this energy is to take them on walks. There is a catch though, if you value both your arms, you will take them one at a time. Luckily I could only find one leash so this was my only option but I am happy it was because one was probably all I could handle. I say walk cautiously because every time a squirrel was within sniffing distance, it turned into a run.

Ok so I didn't learn that many tricks but granted I only watched them for 3 day's, you can't expect much. Anyways, my Brother and Sister-in-law hung out with me the first night I was there. We went to their local pool, which was really nice. I embarrassed my self on the diving board, as usual, and worked on my tan at the same time. We grilled at the house, got frozen yogurt at Green Apple (delicious), and watched the movie Cedar Rapids to finish the night. The next morning, my brother took me golfing at a golf course called Falcon Ridge. It was a really neat golf course and felt like a course that you would see in the Lake of the Ozarks because of all the hills and elevated tees/greens. It was a good time though, even though neither of us played real well (although I did beat him for the first time). After golfing, we had to get some of their fallen limbs cut up and out of the back yard. So we fired up the chain saw, looking like "Tim the tool man Taylor", and went to work. By the time that was over, they were headed out of town and I had the house to myself. I then preceded to take a good nap to acquaint myself with the house, as is normal right? The next few days went by pretty quickly, after seeing some friends from college and just relaxing, it was time to go back home. This weekend was what I needed, a relaxing getaway from everything and a couple of loyal dogs to play with. Can't ask for much more.

I plan on being lazy today and just watching TV and maybe a movie or two on our country's birthday. Than it's back to the grind of 6 a.m. wake ups tomorrow. Oh and only a week and a year until I'm 21! Who say's it's to early to start a countdown? Cause I'm not listening. Stay tuned