Seeing As Far As My Front Porch

The past two weeks have been the best/worst days I have had in quite some time. I'll skip the annoying parts for another bitter blog, and stick to the good stuff for now.

Driving in Atlanta, is the worst.  We got lost twice after the show, blah.  The ride back was awesome.  Long, but awesome.  It was hands down, the best show I have seen in years. 

The rest of the week was interesting to say the least. Got some quality time with Jen and Jxxxy. Managed to go a whole week without fighting with Erik, which could be a first. Went to Tampa to see the new lit up Sun Trust building in USF colors.  Went to Naples for Diana's baby shower, which I still cant believe my best friend is married and having her first baby. Went to Ft. Lauderdale to scoop up Krysti and Erin to spend some quality friend time. Dancing at Backbooth..... which, I haven't gone to Backbooth in forever and it was super nice to see Josh Call and Adam Burton.  The girls and I went to Gainesville for a show.  Saw The Status and The Scenic play a lot. Watched them do some amazing Weezer covers. Which, lets face it, my life would be complete if all I got to do was sing a long to Weezer covers.  Met some really awesome people, and all in all, had a decent amount of fun. 

Here's some random pictures of the week:

     

   

 

Lots of driving this week. Got pulled over twice for speeding. One ticket issued. Boo! But all in all, a good week.  Krysti goes back to Montana tomorrow, which makes me really sad.  I spent the week trying to convince her to move back to FL. No dice so far.... but I'm pretty sure after one Montana winter, she will so be back. =) 

5000

There is nothing worse than finding yourself in a situation in which you are overcome by primal, territorial jealousy..... just to realize what you fretting about, that the so called "nemesis" that you hate, is not your nemesis at all. Because to have an enemy would mean that you have something to fight for, and no matter how much you try, you cannot fight for which is not yours. My first response to unwelcomed information is sarcastic venom, when that doesn't work out, I usually end up at a loss for any other defense mechanism, which in turn leads to a loss of rational thinking.

This past few days has been rough. I've mentally had some rearranging to do.

Certain events, and certain people seem to have limited my intellectual capabilities, thus birthing me into a sobbing mess. Yes, birthing me into a sobbing mess. It was just as horrible as it sounds. Meanwhile, my insides were throwing furniture off balconies, crashing cars into trees and setting buildings on fire. Needless to say, this rearranging, wasn't so fun.

I would have loved for my femal fury to fuel a paranormal event in which I could travel in time and change what I thought was an unforturaate coming of genitals, but alas, I am no Doc Brown.

I don't think I even have the power to articulate this properly, as this post thus far has only been vague ramblings from my head that sound more like an issue of X-Men, rather than any real issue at hand. But this is all you get.

My point, which really I could have said from the start, is that sometimes you have to make a choice that you don't like. When I was 16, I thought choices like this would be over by the time I was 28. That I'd have everything together and life would be easy. Truth is, you'll always have to have a choice to make in life, no matter how old you are.... 16, 28, 34....92. A lot of the time, if not most of the time, the choice you make will not me fun, or easy.


Trick is, to make the choice as quickly as possibly and get it over with. Not to let it drag on and make matters worse. Rip the band-aid off fast, so to speak.




I have to go to bed... I don't think I can even make sense of this at 4am. I'll post more tomorrow.

I've recently been rummaging through old boxes at my parents house, and packing up things that need to be moved, things that stay and things that need to be thrown away. I have completely forgotten so many things that were once treasures to me. Along the way I found: old letters, diaries, photos, old homework, trapper keepers, pogs, and national geographic map inserts that I deemed save-worthy.

Along the way, I found this precious little gem of a writing assignment, that make me realize what a rad kid I was. I can only hope that I spawn babies with such creative thinking. So sit back and enjoy this flashback into my 8 year old mind. The assignment is dated: 5/1/89 with booze and boys entering my brain already. (I've even included my typos!)





The Ugily and Hansome Man

Once there was a boy named Jimmy Clark. Jimmy Clark is twelve. He has brown hair, hasel eyes, freckles and he is chubby. He dosn't have any friends. Hes in sixth grade and very smart. As the years passed he got handsome. He lost weight and he lost his freckles. He was the handsomest boy in twelth grade. At the prom, he met Linsy Mark. On the day after they gragutated they eloped. A week later his parants got a devorce. Now his name was Jimmy Beam. One night he went to a bar. He mixed up some drinks and soon came up with a drink he named it Jim Beam. He was very famous.

Morial: Never judge somebody as youth but as an elder.



I also found a journal entry from 4/26/88 about my first communion, that hints at early apathy and warcraft obsession:

Last saturday I had my first communion. First, inside the church, the preist talked and we sang then we had to promise some things. Then we receved our roseries. After that we went out to lunch, and that's where I got my goblet.


Who knew?



5000

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Who knew that the French novelist, Alphonse Karr, could be so right?



It's strange, how my life is changing so much. In such a short time none the less.

I have surrounded myself in a creative environment.
I have traded in unfaithful friends for wonderful, trustworthy people.
I am finally working in an atmosphere in which I can control.
I am the person I wanted to be when I was 17.

And while my career has changed, my location is changing and my world in general is getting the most amazing make-over...... I am still me. And at the end of the day, that makes me content with all the negative that has ever passed my way.



5000

Quick Birmingham Rundown:

I had the best year ever, in 2008. Here is a brief look of hw my year went, and some pictures to boot!


(Editors note: some pictures are grainy and suck due to the fact they were cell phone pics, clearly. )

JAN

I started 2008 in El Paso, Texas. My family and the trip out to see the USF Bulls play at the Sun Bowl against the Oregon Ducks.








Texas was....eh. We had a lot of fun at the game, despite the fact we lost. And, my family and I did go to Juarez, Mexico and buy awesome stuff for cheap, and get drunk. =)














After we left Texas, we drove through New Mexico and Arizona, on our way to California, to see more family. The drive was BEAUTIFUL!













We stopped and stayed a few days in Arizona. We went to Tombstone, and up to the Mt. Lemmon ski resort.




















We finally made it to California. Seeing my brother, sister-in-law, and my two favorite kids ever, always makes me a happy person.









Carly and Bryce are 5 and 3, and are pretty much the only two kids I can tolerate for any extended period of time.




San Diego was nice and relaxing. My brother lives in the Sunset Cliffs area of Point Loma.









FEB

Pretty laid back month. We wear gearing up at Pink Sneakers to start filming our first season of Brooke Know Best, a Hogan Knows Best spin off. My birthday was on the 17th, and it was excellent. Krysti came up from Lauderdale with Steve, and Tasha hung out too. We spent the night drinking at Odins, where Benny made me a sake drink that tasted like dishwashing detergent. I drank it anyway. I haven't a single picture from Feb.


MARCH

March consisted of a very heavy work load. Brooke Knows Best has started taping and we were planning for a show to start taping (Lukes Parental Advisory) to start taping immediately afterwards.

Brooke Knows Best schedule:









Sarah hard at work:



APRIL

Kyla, Sean and I drove to Birmingham in April to attend Rhiannon and Joel's wedding. The drive there and back was an adventure in itself. We had a wonderful time, and even got to see some old high school people, Bryan and Eric! On the way home, we stopped in Gainsville to enjoy some pizza at Leos By The Slice. Best pizza, ever.


MAY

Basketball! The Magic just beat Toronto and Chris Bosh, to push up to the Semi Finals against the Detroit Pistons.
I went to ever home game the Magic had post season, but none were as exciting as game three against the Pistons where we blew them out with a 111 to 86 win. We sadly didn't go on to the conference, but oh well.









SUMMER

Kind of lumping all this together.

My family on my Dads side has a bit of a reunion in P.A. up in the Endless Mountains. I used to go to the Endless Mountains (which are just above the Pocinos) when I was a kid, and I haven't been in years. It was really nice to see everyone, including my favorite rugrats, as well as take in all the beauty of a summer in the mountains. As you can see, we spent a lot of time at my uncles lake house. I know, I know... there's a lot of pictures. Shush. =)




















After we left the mountains, we went down to Philadelphia to see my moms family, and eat some yummy Genos hoagies!








We then headed to Washington D.C to see some friends, and see some sites that we haven't seen in awhile.












SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER

With September and October, came the end of baseball season. I had been to a handful of Rays games through out the year, and made promises all along that they were going to the playoffs over the Red Sox and the Yankees. A few someone's (Ryan the 13th and Drew R. Garabo) we strong forces, telling me there wasn't a chance in hell. I prayed that the Rays wouldn't make me put my foot in my mouth, and in the end... my boys prevailed over the division, as well as wining the ALCS against the defending Boston Red Sox. Game two of the American League series, was probably one of those games you will forever heard about in the history of play off games. Three extra innings kept everyone in their seats for almost 6 hours. Game 7 however, was the most exciting. Watching Kevin Youkilis walk off the field, after he talked so much sh*t was awesome, as the Rays celebrated going to the World Series.

I also attended my first World Series game as well. Two actually, as I went to both games against the Phillies. We lost the first, won the second. Next year, hopefully... the Rays will go back to the World Series, and take it. =)