I’ve Done A Lot Of Thinking Lately…

Well, I can’t say that I’m not learning things about myself and life… it’s been a tough couple of months really, but I have learned some things that should help me along as I live my life.  I’ve been going through some things lately… things that may not be as tough for a lot of people, but are hard for me.  I’m definitely feeling all sorts of things, mostly sadness… but also betrayal, loss of trust and just a general feeling of loss.  Am I better off after all of this?  Who knows… it sure doesn’t feel that way sometimes.  I’ve had plenty of time to think though, and so much has been running through my head lately that it kind of gets on my nerves.  But it does teach one about themselves, and about other people as well.  I am learning some things about myself, and about other people, and I figured that I would write some of it here because I am sure others have experienced the same things.

First off, I think that people should accept me for who I am.  Some people say I am too nice, which may be true, as I probably get walked on sometimes.  But I can’t help it, I am a very easy going person who doesn’t like to be angry at people, and I don’t like when people are angry at me.  I’ve been told I am too nice because I’ve talked to people that nobody else will talk to, or everyone else makes fun of, just because of how hard it must be to not have many friends, or have everyone else make fun of you.  If that’s too nice, then people are mean.  Of course, we cannot please everyone, but I’d rather have people like me then be pissed off at me for stupid reasons… most arguments happen over really dumb things that probably don’t matter much in the long run.  So why fight about that, why waste the energy?  I don’t like to argue, and I am usually willing to compromise.  Lately I have brought that to my own attention and realized that I do have to improve on that a little bit, but I definitely can when given the chance.

Second off, I am realizing that life is WAY too short to be sweating the small stuff.  Honestly, insecurities and all that will just make our lives miserable.  God knows I have my own insecurities, but I will be the first to admit that they aren’t worth worrying about.  I know it’s easier said than done, but if you realize that they aren’t important, I would say that it’s the first step to correct them.  And these insecurities can lead to bigger problems in life, so I think that they really need to be worked on and at least somewhat corrected.  Going up to my first point, I think that people need to accept others (and themselves) for who they are… not what they look like, not the amount of money they have, the amount of “toys” that they have, etc… but for who the person is on the inside.  If you get a compliment from me, I seriously mean it… because I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it was true.  It’s way too easy and creates way too much anger for yourself when you are worried about all these little meaningless things, it’s really not worth it.  Because there are people that will like you for who you are inside, as a person, and not just what you look like.  That’s by far the most important attribute of a person.  I’ve said this many times… just because you are rich (or really good looking) and have a lot more than other people does not make you a better person overall.  Maybe you get things to come easier to you.  But honestly, a lot the time, it makes people worse because it completely goes to their head.

Third, I am really starting to buy into the idea that people can make their lives into anything that they want, within reason of course.  I know that if I want to do something in my life, I need to work hard and give it my all to at least have a shot of achieving that goal.  There are limitations to be had, but I honestly have no right to sit there and complain about something over and over again if I am able to have any sort of control over it.  Nobody does.  If you don’t like the way that your life is headed, it is up to you to change it.  That’s part of the reason why I can’t stand the welfare system, but that’s a whole other story.  I do, however, believe that you cannot change your whole life on your own.  You need the help and support from your friends, family and the people that you love to make that happen.  I firmly believe that social support is very important for us in helping to get our lives in order.  If you need my help, all you have to do is ask.

I’m really starting to realize that I am a much more grounded individual than I originally thought; I can usually see through almost anyone to find the good inside.  Sometimes it can take a little bit of time, but it’s really not that difficult.  Although I am starting to lose faith in mankind more and more everyday (with all the crap that goes on), I do believe that most people are good and aren’t out to make everyone miserable.  Obviously, there are those people that are not good at all, but for the most part, I think that people mean well.  I really try not to judge others, as many people seem to do very quickly and before they get to know them.  I really hope that people don’t judge me either before they get to know me.  I know a couple of instances in my life in which people were judging others much too quickly, and it’s not a good practice because people deserve a chance.

And if you give them that chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.

G-Men!

Giants… 4-0… hell yeah!

Not short of material…

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this, but believe me, I have plenty of crap to write, and just not enough time or motivation to do it. It’ll come eventually…

But right now I’m watching the Yanks own the Red Sox… just like Shelley Duncan owned this little bastid:

Political Cartoon

A great political cartoon that I got in an e-mail… looks more like a photo than a drawing.

Spoofs

Been looking at some spoofs lately, thought this one was pretty funny:

Book About A-Rod

Well, I’ve been reading Selena Roberts’ book called A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez.  I am about halfway through it right now, and figured that I would write about it in case anyone is interested.

I have to say that this book is a very good and easy read, if you are interested in the “behind the scenes” of baseball.  Roberts really did not have to put this book out right as he was coming back from injury, although I know that she’s also interested in making herself money.  Did she really have to release a book that slanders a person for her own personal benefit?  Probably not.  But is it total slander?  No, it’s not.  I was against her putting this book out, but I was too curious not to read it.

It gives some reasons for some of the weird things that Alex has done, as well as some behind the scenes of his contract negotiations with the very irritating Scott Boras.  It tells us what most baseball fans already know… everything is about money with Scott Boras.  Numbers are the only important thing to him.  Granted, he makes more money as well, but really, he’s taking advantage of the every day fan indirectly.  But that’s besides the point.  The book goes farther as to tell Alex’s background story, from being a very young boy, all the way through high school.  It discusses more steroid usage as well as the how selfish he is as a baseball player.

But honestly, he’s only one of many that are divas, full of themselves, and have done things that we hold against them.  This book isn’t totally slandering him… he’s just the one that we found out about.  Give it a read, get it from the library if you don’t want to support it, but as I continue reading it, I think baseball fans should too.  I’m sure it will bash him later on as well (since I am only halfway through), but it’s very interesting at the very least.

If you want to read the chapter that I just finished, SI posted it on their website: Excerpt from the A-Rod Book: Mr. Two-Fifty-Two

Bob Uecker is the man!

Some hilarious videos about the sports broadcaster Bob Uecker from Artie Lange and Norm MacDonald on the Letterman Show… check them out.  I heard Norm talk about this on Howard Stern and I was laughing hysterically in my car.  Of course, this is on Letterman so it is censored and Howard Stern is not, but it’s pretty funny nonetheless.

Bob Uecker

Denise Richard’s Funbags

I thought this video from Funny or Die was pretty funny.  Click the link to check out the video.

Old Cartoons

Just a quick thought: some of these old cartoons that I used to watch as a kid are genius.  I’m watching a little bit of Ren and Stimpy… why do the cartoons for kids nowadays suck so much?

Basketball For The Ages!

I’ve been watching a ton of basketball lately (two different teams), and I have to say that it’s really cool to see both sides of the spectrum, being one large team in an amazing conference, and one small team in a forgotten conference.  These two teams are the Syracuse Orange and the Binghamton Bearcats.

As a Syracuse fan for much of my life, from when I was young, when I was a student there, and now that I am an alumni, I really was used to my team always having a shot at the NCAA championship.  They are always very talented, and they belong to a major conference in the Big East, which always gets plenty of bids for the tournament.  I would have loved them to get farther than the first round during the 4 years that I attended, but hey, we can’t all get what we want… the lacrosse championship last year was good enough.  But as a fan, I took it for granted that my team always had a shot.

I’ve been going to Binghamton games for the past couple years now, but this year was the first year that I went to every men’s home game, considering I wasn’t at Syracuse anymore and was home for them.  Most thought this team wasn’t going anywhere, and with the way they were playing, I thought the same.  They were very inconsistent at the beginning of the season, but after a while, kind of found their groove and created that team chemistry that they were missing.  Many people criticized the team because the new guys were kind of outcasts, but talented ones that couldn’t stay on other teams for whatever reason.  They had their egos, and it showed early, but the team prevailed and won the America East conference championship yesterday.  Binghamton is going to the NCAA tournament.  This is their first ever tournament berth and the area is very proud of them.  The fans were great (though not all year…. many Binghamton kids are complete fairweather fans, but the real fans were great), and I am happy to see some national coverage for a team that has lots of talent and could make for an upset in the first round.

Syracuse just amazed me at the end of the season during the Big East tournament.  Honestly, 6 OTs – when you are already pretty much guaranteed a spot in the big dance – and you keep playing as hard as you can for 6 OTs?  I was disappointed when they lost last night to Louisville, but I am proud of them for the wins against UConn and West Virginia.  That is tough, and I am glad to see people actually commending them for it.  Yes, the team has flaws – Devendorf  talks way too much for sure, but he is talented and people notice that.  Flynn dribbles way too much and has too many turnovers, but the guy has a lot of heart and I respect him for it.  No doubt about it, the team is extremely flawed… but what team isn’t?  Here’s a great NY Post article by Steve Serby that sums up most of what I feel about this team right now: Clock Caught Up With Boeheim’s Bunch

Obviously, Binghamton is very different from Syracuse though, as only one team from these small conferences makes it every year.  Without a perfect conference tournament, these teams will not have a postseason.  And rightfully so, as they really don’t play the best opponents.  They are both flawed teams, talent wise and personality wise, but they both prevailed.  Both made headlines with stupid players (Devendorf punching a girl in the face, Alvin stealing condoms from Wal-Mart).  And the NY Times will rip anyone, but who cares about that awful paper anyway?  But I really thought it was cool to watch from two different perspectives, with teams that are so similar in a few ways, but so different in others.

I’ll be interested in seeing what’s in store tonight, and to see the seeding.