Category Archives: Life

Redneck Life!

Drinking games are fun to play occasionally. I have several foggy, but fond, memories of playing hockey (the card game), categories, beer pong, and tippy cup – but let’s face it, college is over and it’s probably time to grow up. I’m not saying adults should stop playing drinking games – just the one’s college kid’s play. If you’re wondering: “why me?” or “What now?” Have no worries, look no further, your answer is finally here…ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce you to ‘Redneck Life’!

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Honesty

Honesty is a trait that people appreciate. The simple act forms a trust and loyalty to transparent people and businesses. It makes sense – no one wants to be taken advantage of, but it happens all too often.

 I can’t tell you how many times people have tried to hustle me for cash, with some elaborate story. It happens in almost every city, but isn’t very effective. On the rare occasion when someone is transparent, they should be rewarded…

Yesterday I encountered this man by Pike Place Market, gave him a dollar, shook his hand and thanked him for his honesty.


Ninjas, Pilots, & Superheroes

What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question that never seems to go away.

Twenty years ago, I was hell bent on becoming a ninja. The idea of being somewhat invisible by taking cover in the shadows of nightfall, and quietly completing missions totally captivated my imagination.

My neighbor, at the time, was an elderly gentleman. He enjoyed fishing and used live frogs as bate, which he kept in a cage behind his shed. This really bothered me. It was pretty obvious when he was getting ready for a trip, because frogs quickly multiplied in the cage a few days before he planned on leaving. It became my mission, as a ninja, to save all of the frogs that he captured. As the sun went down, I would change into my ninja outfit and sneak over to the cage to free the frogs. It was a success for a while, but he eventually decided to keep the cage in his garage. That was a sad day in ninja history – my short lived career was over.

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Love

Friends come in all kinds of personalities. It’s what makes friend groups interesting, and fun to be a part of. Despite the shortcomings people tend to have, there is one thing that holds friend groups together – love. Yup, that’s right! (Come on, it’s Valentine’s Day) By accepting others for who they are, we become better people.

In moments of weakness, there is nothing better than having a good friend by your side for encouragement.

Rough night...

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Chess Night at the White Horse!

In my younger years, I had absolutely no patience for board games (other than checkers) or Nintendo. Playing in the great outdoors was the only thing I ever wanted to do – creating a rift in my relationship with my brother, as he was the complete opposite. Though my love for the outdoors hasn’t changed, my patience and desire for learning new things has evolved over the years.

In college, I taught myself how to play Backgammon. Apparently the strategy is very similar to Poker (weird right?!?). This was news to me when my friend Jon asked me to teach him how to play, in hopes that it would make him a better Poker player. It was confusing (because I don’t play poker), but exciting none the less – I FINALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY ANOTHER HUMAN!!!

Backgammon!

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Bicycle Adventure

Bicycle adventures have always been one of my favorite pastimes. Gone are the days of my youth when I would hop on my bike to follow my older brother to his friend’s house – he would make a game out of it, weaving through uncharted neighborhoods in an attempt to lose me. It usually ended with a stream of tears rolling down my chubby cheeks, trying to find my way back home. Fortunately, I keep better company these days…

This weekend was a perfect time to discover new places in our new beloved city. With the sun shining bright, we mounted our bikes (God only knows how much I really want a tandem bicycle) and started the journey to wherever…

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Silence is Golden

Years ago I had a summer job at a prestressed concrete factory. We built bridges, and exterior building panels on a daily basis. It was a stressful job because of the tight deadlines, and the hard labor that came with the territory. The employees there could have come straight out of the Wild West – the serious, tough, tobacco loving, don’t take no shit from no body type that you never want to cross. Verbal abuse was rampant, so if you weren’t a fast learner (fortunately I am) they made your life a living hell. Needless to say, the turnaround for summer workers ran fairly high.

Prestressed concrete bed

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Second Chances

People are not perfect – in some way or another we disappoint, and offend the people we love most. It’s one of the many human flaws we are unable to escape. Fortunately, we are able to forgive and be forgiven for our mistakes. When someone reaches out and asks for a second chance, you give it to them. It’s the courteous thing to do.

I received a phone call yesterday from Melissa at Organize.com in response to the bath pillow mishap. She wanted to personally apologize for the mistake, and right the wrong. I was given a refund for the purchase, and a voucher off my next order. They want me to give them a second chance, and I intend to do just that. Why? Because nobody is perfect…not even companies like Organize.com.


Life’s little adventures

I am especially fond of adventures, whether it’s a trip across the world or a simple jaunt across town. Aimlessly walking around unknown parts of a city is a perfect time for discovery (it’s always a great idea to go with a friend). On these random journey’s, it’s fairly common to encounter men at bus stops who think it’s a great idea to shout pick-up lines at my girlfriend (while I’m holding her hand), creating an awkward situation. Fortunately this didn’t happen yesterday as we strolled up to the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle.

Halfway through our journey, Courtney abruptly stopped and burst into laughter. She is amused rather easily, so I had no idea what could possibly be making her laugh so hard…

 

There is was. A penis shaped pipe in a head shop window…oh how the simple things in life can be so amusing. I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

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Well played Organize.com, well played…

Courtney had been searching endlessly for a decent bath pillow for several months with no success. So I decided to make it my goal to find one for her birthday this past November. After looking everywhere I finally found my treasure on Amazon.com, along with some sea salts, and bubbles! She could finally take the bath of her dreams! I felt like Indiana Jones, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when he won back the Ark and saved humanity.

Bath pillow

 The plan was to put the pillow in the tub the night before, and display the other fancy stuff along the edge. She would enter the bathroom the next morning to take a shower, light would shine down, angels would sing, and Courtney would cry tears of pure delight (at least that’s how it played out in my head).

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