The De-Magicizing of Christmas

Christmas used to be a magical time of the year. And, when I say magical, I mean it in every sense of the word. Not only was it a time that was special and unique, but there was also an actual "magical" feeling to the whole thing. Santa Claus is, of course, magical but it was also a time when wishes came true. Most of the wishes were in the form of presents, but it was still something really cool. You could get all the gifts you'd dreamed of...plus all the ones you hadn't had the creativity to dream of.

Now, Christmas is Christmas. It's a time to be with loved ones and get some new stuff. A lot of times, you know what you're getting, and you're occasionally re-opening stuff you bought for yourself. Tomorrow is Christmas, and I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I'm getting. And, as far as things I'm looking forward to getting, there's only a couple of things.

And that's sad to me. Christmas used to be a really cool time of the year. And while there's still that anticipation that it's going to be the same as it used to be, it hasn't delivered those same feelings in a really long time. I'm sure things will be different when I have kids, but in this middle stage of my life, it's really just depressing to think about. And it all comes down to a few factors.

1. The magic is gone. Like I said earlier, Christmas was shrouded in magic. You'd believe that Santa Claus was out there watching you, knowing exactly what would make you happy on Christmas morning. He was like a guardian angel, making sure that all the good boys and girls were rewarded. Christmas, of course, is a religious holiday, but it's a completely different feeling for little kids. Because they actually get their "heaven" one day every year, where they're rewarded for being good all year. They "pray" to Santa and get what they asked for if they deserve it. Perhaps, Christmas is the opiate of young kids.

2. Work. Christmas was really cool because you got time off from school. And not a three-day weekend or even a week like on Spring Break. You get weeks off - plural. You get to stay up late, go see movies, and do sleepovers on weekdays. And, after Christmas, you get to play with all your cool new toys and show your friends.

Now, I get one day off - Christmas day. Some people get Christmas Eve off, but a lot of people don't. And if you work in Corporate America, you might be able to use vacation time, but it's usually used by management who have seniority over you. So Christmas is just a day off...nothing special.

3. No more wishes. When you're a kid, you have all these things that you want. Specific action figures that your friends will be jealous of. Movies that you haven't seen since they were in theaters. A new bike. Even simple things like a football.

When you're an adult, you have money and access to whatever you want. If you want a movie, you don't have to wait until Christmas to get it. You drive to the store, hand the dude your credit card, and it's done. If you want a bike, go buy one. All the wishes you had are spread out over the course of the year...to the point where, on Christmas, there's not really anything you want. Even if you get the idea of getting something on December 15, you're probably more likely to go get it then instead of asking someone for it or buying it and wrapping it for Christmas.

And there's less stuff you want. New clothes are the staple...along with the ever-present gift cards. Most of the things we spend money on (cars, vacations, housing) aren't really "Christmas gift" things. And even simple things like movies are readily accessible now with premium cable showing movies 24/7 and things like Netflix. Why buy a DVD when you can watch the movie whenever you want from several different media?

4. The payoff. Christmas morning was really cool because you'd wake up and see all this cool stuff that Santa brought (AKA, things too big to wrap). Then you get to open presents. Then...the payoff. You get to call your friends and tell them all the cool stuff you got. And go outside and show the neighbor kids. And then go hang out with your friends and see what they got.

Now, you have a bunch of gift cards, stuff you bought yourself, and clothes. You're not going to call your friend and tell them you got $25 at Best Buy. You're not going to tell them you bought some movie that you both have already seen. And you're not going to show up at his house, showing off your brand-new sweater.

When you're done, you just clean up all the wrapping paper and put everything away. It's over before you know it, and it just feels like a letdown. Especially if you try and fool yourself into thinking that the magic is coming back. That you'll get something that everyone will be jealous of. Or, like when you were a kid, something you didn't even know you wanted.

And I guess this is the time when you're supposed to look beyond the "childish" parts of Christmas. When it's not about the presents anymore, it should be about the meaning behind Christmas. The religious parts, being nice to your fellow man, and all that stuff. Which, I suppose is my assignment for this Christmas.

But it's hard not to remember what things used to be. Especially for someone like me, who finds yesterday always better than today. And as someone who is still desperately hoping that magic exists in our world, it's always sad to remember all the magic that's been lost over the years.

Not a very happy Christmas message...but maybe thinking about it will help us find it all again.

Why the Hate?

I was driving into work the other day when I saw a car with three bumper stickers. I only remember two of them, but they all had the same theme.

- "1/20/13 - The End of An Error"
- "Proud of My Country, Ashamed of My President"
- Something else anti-Obama

And I couldn't help but giggle in confusion. Giggling because I can guarantee that three years ago, this guy would've vehemently argued that similar bumper stickers would've been worthy of treason charges. "You have to support your president!" Because you gotta think this guy had one of those "W: My President" bumper stickers on his car a few years ago.

Why is it okay to be ashamed of one president when you had to honor the last one? Because one wears a blue tie and one wears a red one.

I was confused...because what has Obama done to draw up so much hate? Bush, at the very least, started a war. When people die, other people get emotional. I can understand that, particularly when you start looking at the connections between George W. and his father. There's obviously more connection to the first Gulf War than to September 11. That would make people angry, and perhaps a bit ashamed.

But Obama? Isn't the biggest (and, from what I can see, the most apt) argument against Obama is that he isn't doing anything? So what has he done to draw hatred?

- Win the election?
- Win the Nobel Peace Prize?
- Be black?

Is it health care? The platform that was compromised to death and almost certainly will never pass in any form recognizable to the president. It can't be that, right?

What is it then? Are people mad that he isn't getting things done, despite the fact that the things he would be doing are liberal? It can't be that, right? Because you gotta think that this is a godsend for conservatives....they have a man in the office who is a strong liberal who had two years of a liberal Congress...and hasn't done a thing yet. At this point in Bush's presidency, we were already in two wars.

Can't we just pick a president that one side likes and the other side is okay with? Or are we too divided now? Where, no matter what, we're supposed to hate people from the other side? Where no one rallies around the president anymore, no matter what he does? Where we get mad at your guy because you were mean to our guy last time?

If that's the case, I think more people will become disillusioned to politics. Because if it's all about emotion, you're only going to have emotional people involved. And then nothing gets done.

Dream Analysis

So last night, I forgot to actually analyze the dream that I described. And, at the same time, explain why I would randomly describe a dream that I had. And the reason I did was the randomness of it, combined with the subtle fears I have, with some interesting plot twists.

I've always been fascinated with dreams. The idea that our bodies are resting but our brains are active is very interesting to me. And dreams seem so mystical - they tell us stories that we weren't aware we could tell. Do they give us warnings for the future? Explanations of the mysteries of the past? Realizations for the present? Could they be messages from God? Or even messages from yourself? Or are they just random channel surfing your brain does waiting for you to wake up?

This dream has a lot to work with. My fear of having my home invaded is one of my biggest, and it was the "scariest" part of the dream for me. My car has already been stolen, and I'm always going to be worried about going out and finding the car not there. I also like that, even in my dreams, I'm a terrible shot.

But then there are the plot twists. The fact that my prime suspects ended up being my allies. The fact that the villain ended up being a voodoo Haitian. The fact that my old car - not the new one - was found.

Is there anything to take from this? Should I not move into a duplex? If I move into the neighborhood of a Haitian voodoo master, should I get better protection for my car? If my car gets stolen, should I forget the police and befriend the sketchy guys down the street?

My brain is weird. I've always known that. But this was just a weird story, and I felt like I needed to tell it.

My Dream - A Narrative

*Note - this is the plot of my actual dream from last night.*

I'm living in a duplex in a relatively sketchy part of town. I come out of the duplex one day to find out that my car has been stolen. Or, more accurately, it has been switched with another crappier car. In my dream, I remember that my car has already been stolen once (which is true).

I call the police, and they point me in the direction of some people that live down the street. Outside of that, there's nothing that they can do.

So I know that these people down the street might have stolen my car, and I'm a bit afraid of them. I get more afraid when I find out that someone has broken into my duplex. I call the police again, and they're even less helpful this time. I now assume that these people down the street are out to get me, but I can't do anything about it.

Eventually, I'm sitting in my duplex, and I know these people are right outside. They open the door, and I'm nervously in the corner. They come in smiling and tell me that they're not the ones who stole my car. In fact, they've come over to help me get my car back.

And it's actually not my new car that they're going to help get back. It's my old car - the one stolen in real life. Apparently, the car was stolen by a Haitian voodoo guy who lives in the neighborhood.

We go to his big mansion-like house at night as a bunch of people in a zombie-like trance are walking in. He has guards grabbing people who aren't in a zombie state, and so we have to pretend to be in a trance to get in. We get in, and I'm seated directly next to the Haitian boss. Some sort of raw fish is served, and I have to eat it as if I'm still in a trance.

Whatever the plan is works, and my new friends do something that makes everyone run away from the house in fear. I meet back up with them, and they throw me a gun.

I fire three shots at something and I miss every time.

And that's when I woke up.

Quandry

How come, between the hours of 7am and 8pm, all I want to do is sleep?

And, yet, between the hours of 8pm and midnight, all I want to do is watch random clips on Hulu?

A Short Story

"I'd like to say that this is a coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that everything that's happened in my life led me here. And the same applies to you. Everything you've ever done has led you to this moment.

And I'm here for one reason and one reason only. I'm going to tell you something, but I'm not here to tell you. I've told you a hundred times in my head, and I will continue to do it until the day I day. But this moment isn't about what I do. I have to see you reaction to what I say. I've seen you react in every way that a person can react. You've been overjoyed. You've been angry. You've ordered champagne and thrown water in my face. But all the other scenarios don't matter. All those other versions of you don't matter. The only thing that matters is you in this moment. As far as I'm concerned, nothing else exists.

I love you. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I loved you as we teased each other. As we grew closer. As we grew apart. I could see it, and you could see it. Everyone saw it. But nothing happened. I couldn't say what I needed to say, and you stopped waiting. You had enough, and I understand. It kills me, but I understand.

So what would you do if I told you I loved you? I know you can't do anything about it - that moment has passed, and we can't turn back time. But you have to know. You have to understand the pain and anguish that have led me to where I am. And while we will never be, you have to know.

In some other life, we were great. We were perfect. We were the envy of everyone else. Our love was the muse that led to masterpieces. The kind of love that few have but everyone yearns for. And, in that life, you're completely happy. Because, in my life, that's my only job. My only goal. My only concern. I've given you the world, and yet I still search for something greater.

You've found love in this life. And I'm sure it's a great love. And I'll find some myself. People live happy lives without ending up with the perfect person. Because human beings are adaptive creatures. Since we were tossed from the Garden, we've learned to accept less than perfect. Less than what we truly want. It's now hardwired into our DNA, and it's understandable. With all the problems that we face and all the evil we see, it's natural to hold on to whatever we can that can make us happy. After a long and hard day, a lot can disguise itself as perfect.

But I want you to know that we had it. It was for less than a second. Less than a moment. It would be hard to capture, even on the world's most sophisticated camera. It was small, but it existed. And because it existed, it can never be taken away. It will never go away. It will always exist, and we'll be able to go there whenever we want.

I've said what I needed to say. Done what I needed to do. Now it's your turn to let me know. What would you do if I told you I loved you?"

She looked up...

Plans

But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

It's time to stop planning. And start doing.

TCU to the Rose Bowl

I haven't mentioned the Rose Bowl yet, but it's been about a week since TCU was formally invited to the "Granddaddy of Them All."

Am I upset that the Frogs didn't go to the National Title game? No, I'm not. People have said that TCU has done everything they were asked to do and still didn't get in. That, starting as high as they did, that this should have been the year for a non-BCS team to get in. That, in the absence of Florida and Alabama and Texas and Oklahoma and LSU and Michigan and Ohio State...this was the year to get it done.

But an SEC team was undefeated. A Pac-10 team was undefeated. And, in college football, that means that an SEC team is going to play a Pac-10 team in the championship. And I understand that.

If Auburn was 12-1, I might be upset. If Oregon was 11-1, I would definitely be upset. But two teams played in "bigger" conferences and did the same thing TCU did, and I think they deserved to go. I watched a lot of Oregon and Auburn in the last few weeks (for obvious reasons), and I think they're both good teams. The title game should be good.

The Rose Bowl will be very interesting. Wisconsin fans are basically declaring the game a blowout before it even begins, even though TCU is actually favored in the game. Wisconsin ran through their entire schedule, scoring a ridiculous amount of points in a few of their games. They also gave up a lot of points.

Two things to think about.

1. Wisconsin's Run Game vs. TCU's Defense - TCU will face, by far, their biggest challenge as far as a run game goes. The Badgers will run the ball until it hurts, and then they'll run it about 50 more times. At the same time, TCU will be the best defense that Wisconsin has faced, and they almost never allow people to run on them. A lot has been made of the size disparity between the Wisconsin O-Line and the TCU D-Line. I'm not sure it will be as "David vs. Goliath" as people are saying.

2. TCU's Offense vs. Wisconsin's Defense - Oh yeah, TCU has an offense too. TCU has a mature and experienced passing game with Andy Dalton and Jeremy Kerley, and when they're on, they're really hard to stop. And they have Ed Wesley, who might be the Frogs' best running back since a guy named Tomlinson was on campus. Again, Wisconsin has allowed people to score, but they did stop Terrelle Pryor.

I think it will be a great game, and the winner will probably end up at #2 in the final standings. I will be at the game, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Frogs react. They apparently felt cheated by last year's Boise game. Hopefully, they'll be ready to go in this one.

An Open Letter to the Clothing Industry

Good Morning,

I'm assuming that someone in the clothing industry reads this blog. If I'm correct, please pass this along to your president, emperor, or main dignitary when done reading.

I'm writing because I'm a little confused. When I'm doing my laundry, I'll often find the tag that tells me whether I should wash with hot water or cold water. I'm a pretty typical guy, and I'm not going to go too out of my way to wash my collection of polo shirts and t-shirts. But trying to be more adult, I figured I should at least follow instructions.

And for the majority of my clothes, the system works. Certain things have crazy extra requirements like turning a t-shirt with some kind of logo on it inside out. And I can do that, especially since t-shirts sometimes go inside out when I take them off anyway.

But I'm often distressed when I find the tag and don't see writing. I see these stupid symbols that I cannot decipher without assistance from the internet. And this is why I'm writing to you today..

I do my laundry early on Sunday morning. I do it Sunday because I grew up watching the NFL and Ashley grew up watching college. So he gets Saturday, I get Sunday. It's a system, and it works.

Early on Sunday morning, I want things to be simple. I have fantasy football to be concerned with and can't bother with your hieroglyphics. And to make matters worse, the main symbol I'm concerned with is in Celsius. Really, clothing industry? Now you want me to bring math into this? I need to take the temperature on the label, multiply it by 1.8, and then add 32? Really?

And 30 degrees Celsius means 86 degrees Fahrenheit. That, according to the internet, means cold. I realize the water on the "cold" setting is probably around that, but can't we use hyperbole for the issue of simplicity? Make 0 degrees Celsius mean cold? And 100 degrees mean hot? Who really cares how cold the water is when you're just going off "cold", "warm", or "hot"?

Please correct this with future clothes. Make it easy. And not for you - for me.

Sincerely,

Drew

Laziness and Consequences

I was sent to Delaware to learn a job and bring it back to Texas. The way things worked in Delaware was that two people worked on one part of the job, and one person worked on the other.

We had four people, and that meant a change for our team. We could either do two and two, or we could do one and three. So it was decided that we could each learn both aspects of the job, and it would be decided at a later date.

We were put into pairs, and we each learned half the job on the first day. On the second day, we switched. The first half of the job was busy and a bit crazy - it involved a lot of communication with the client, a steady stream of work, and a whole lot of paperwork. The second half didn't seem that bad - it seemed to involve a whole lot less and appeared to be easier.

Not to mention that one of the jobs worked until 6pm, and the other seemed to be done around 4pm.

As my partner and I went to lunch with our boss, we began to talk about the work. With only one day of training on each job, we each knew the same thing - it would be much better to work on the job that was easier and got out early. Unfortunately, my boss basically told meet that she needed me on the "harder" job. And that's when it happened.

"I wouldn't mind doing (the "easier" job)," my partner said.

She said it as if she was reluctantly volunteering for something terrible. But she knew what she was doing - she was taking the lazy way out before anyone else got the chance to. She assumed that she would have a light day and get to go home early - who wouldn't volunteer for that?

The next day, she was the only one training on the "easy" job. The other three of us began training on the other half. And, as of today, that's the way things are working.

In talking to the rest of the group, we each discussed that we wanted the same thing. We each would've preferred to be on the easier job, and people were surprised when I revealed that our colleague had volunteered for it.

But the lazy way wasn't necessarily the easy way. What the volunteer had failed to realize that the person who had done the job in Delaware had done it for five years. In fact, he was the one who had originally brought the job from New York. Of all the people at the company, he knew it the best. It was one of the reasons why it seemed so easy, and it was one of the reasons he got done so early.

And so when she started to do the work by herself, she struggled. She complained about how much work there was, and she was upset that there was no one to help her. It only took a couple of days for her to realize that she had made a mistake.

Her job might be the easiest, but our job is now divided amongst three people. While we get our work done, she struggles. She gets help from both our manager and our visiting trainer from the UK, and she's constantly asking us for assistance. And this makes her unavailable to help us.

And even now, she's looking for the easy way out. She's convinced our manager to have someone assist her on her most difficult account, and she continues to complain about her workload. I'm a little surprised that she hasn't "volunteered" to move back to our job.

And what's sad is that, since her job actually is less intensive, she should have been the first one to learn it. And instead of us helping her, she should be able to help us.

She's very nice, and I don't intend to be mean. But I do think it's funny that she asked for the easy way out, and it didn't really work out that way. Sadly enough, it works out more often than not.

Delaware - Part Nine

1. I love Community

2. I love Alison Brie

That is all. And, yet, all I need.

Delaware - Part Eight

Coming up to Delaware, I knew I'd be in Philadelphia Eagles' country. And since the Eagles might be my #1 least favorite team in the world, it wasn't really something I was excited about. Plus, Eagles' fans have an unnatural hatred for the Cowboys...so I knew it might cause some issues with the people I meet. After all, people hear I'm from Texas and almost always immediately ask if I'm a Cowboys' fan.

But on my first day on the job, I actually found out that there was a secret cadre of Cowboys fans up here. In fact, at work, there are a few of them. And while there are some Eagles' fans, there's a nice mix of football fans.

Considering the Cowboys' struggles, though, there wasn't much to argue about. I just kept my mouth shut for the most part, only joining in neutral topics (such as fantasy football).

But, today, the Cowboys' fans were all excited. Because, today, Wade Phillips was fired.

I'm torn between feelings of hatred and pity for the former coach of the Cowboys. On one hand, I think he's done a terrible job with a lot of talent - that a lot of his wins were mostly due to a simple talent advantage over most teams. And, despite that, the Cowboys only had one playoff win under the Phillips' regime.

On the other hand, I feel bad for Wade. Not because he got fired...but simply because of the way he was forced to carry himself. Wade Phillips seems like a genuinely nice man who really cares for his players. So much so that he defends players for inexcusable errors - when things went wrong, he preferred people blame him instead of the player. It's admirable, but these days, people want the players held accountable.

But it's not just that - Wade Phillips was reduced to a company man. He was Jerry Jones' puppet from day one, and it really immasculated poor Mr. Phillips...who never truly had any power. Wade was unable to criticize anyone or punish anyone anyway, which probably added to his "blame me, not the player" attitude.

And while it takes a certain man to get bossed around as much as Wade did, you have to feel sorry for him. Because this was the job of a lifetime - to coach the Dallas Cowboys - and it's probably Wade's last head coaching job. If someone offered you your dream job as a last-ditch hope, would you take it...even if it meant living completely by someone else's rules? Would you take it if it meant allowing yourself to be castrated, in a sense?

Wade decided that it was worth it. And I'm sure he did his best.

But, at the end of the day, it wasn't good enough. And, I'm afraid, Wade was never the right man for the job. I wasn't excited about his hiring a few years ago, and I wasn't excited about him...even when the Cowboys were winning the division. I knew that, for the Cowboys to get to the top, they needed someone of a different pedigree.

So, today, the Jason Garrett era begins. I was excited about Garrett a few years ago, but his offense has fallen on its face more than once in his tenure. It gets a lot of yards, but it finds a way to leave a lot of points on the field. Garrett's offense is great for fantasy players, but it's not great for wins. Especially with all the weapons he has.

But maybe Garrett is a better head coach than he is a coordinator. Maybe he has the right stuff, in terms motivating the team. Maybe he's the right guy.

And I'm sure he'll get plenty of time to test. With a work stoppage potentially looming in the future, Jerry might be forced to keep Jason Garrett for the 2011 season. And I look forward to seeing if the team performs any differently under the new interim coach. Because this season is lost...it's time to start looking forward to next year.

But I know one thing - Wade wasn't entirely to blame. The players aren't playing either. A lot of them have already quit on the season and will have to be replaced. A lot of the players have simply aged too much and will have to be replaced. The offensive gameplan is often flawed and will have to be changed.

So the Jason Garrett era begins. Time will only tell if it will improve over the Wade Phillips era.

Delaware - Part Seven

I had never been to a casino before this weekend. Gambling wasn't necessarily an addition in my family, but it did present a bit of a problem on part of my father's side of the family. My mom hates it, and she's always dissuaded me from doing it. Another reason I've never been is that I'm not great at it.

And when our group here started considering a trip to Atlantic City, I wasn't sure. Primarily, I wasn't sure about it - moreso because it was going to conflict with game three of the World Series. But when the Rangers dropped the first two games of the series, I decided to go. You only live once, right?

The trip cost $40, including $20 worth of chips to the casino. It was going to be a nice little expedition out of Delaware, and I eventually looked forward to it. The trip down the New Jersey Turnpike was cool, especially with the leaves changing all over the place.

As soon as we got there, we went straight to the buffet for lunch. It was $16, but it had a bit of everything to eat. The three of us ate enough to feel content with the price of the buffet, and then we headed to the casino.

It turned out that the $20 wasn't actually in chips but for slots. We quickly used up the money (on a "game card"), converting any winnings into cash. One of the people in our group had no interest in gambling, and she ran off to the aquarium. With my other colleague eager to play high-stakes blackjack, I was left on my own.

Now I haven't played blackjack in a long time, and I'm not exactly good at it. But with only one poker table in the whole casino, I decided to try it. I had a $10 bill in my wallet, and I decided to try one game. The dealer was a bit peeved that she had to shuffle for one game for one person (I intentionally chose an empty table), but I didn't really care.

She shuffled and dealt. 14 for me. Hit me. A 10 came down. 22. Bust.

"Well, that was fun," I said.

"Not really," the dealer said as I walked off.

With no other cash, I decided to go to the ATM. I'd hoped to bring enough cash to not have to do that, but with the bus ride and the buffet, I was already in trouble. I pulled out $50, knowing that I was going to allow myself one more trip to reach the $100 limit I'd placed on myself.

I continued to play blackjack, learning some of the hidden tricks of the game on the fly. I wasn't overly concerned about the other players at the table (a mistake, I later learned), and I wasn't great at strategy at first. And since the casino had a $10 minimum bet, I found myself losing the money quickly. For that first $50, I never actually went up. I lost, got a bit back, and eventually lost it all.

Back to the ATM.

For my second trip, I tried to do a little better. I found a table with a colorful group of people, and I actually did a little better. Until one hand.

I was dealt another 14. The dealer had a 6 showing. I decided to hit, hoping to get a bit closer to 21. The people at the table were instantly horrified...the rules, they said, demanded that a player stay with cards higher than 12 when the dealer is showing a 6 or less.

I busted. The dealer ended up hitting and beating everyone at the table.

The guy next to me was really mad. He promised to leave as soon as the next hand was played, and he eventually did that. I was later told that blackjack is, oddly enough, a team sport. The team against the dealer. And if I'd just stayed, everyone at the table would have won. I made a mistake, and because of it, the whole table lost.

I actually went up the second time (about $10), but I gave it all back. I tried to stay with money, but I figured I should either go up big or lose it all. In my head, the $100 was a sunken cost that I was willing to lose. I wasn't going to bet any more, but I saw no reason to only lose $70 instead of the $100.

But I was slightly tempted to go back to the ATM, and I could see how people could fall under such temptations. The game is so easy, it seems, and the money goes by so quickly. It's such an interesting psychological phenomenon, and I think it'd be really interesting to study it.

After that, one of us stayed at the casino, and I joined the other one on the boardwalk. It was pretty fun to be outside, by the ocean, looking through the various shops. We ended up at the other side of the boardwalk, where they were having a Phish concert. Considering it was Halloween Eve, there were definitely some characters out there.

By 7pm, we had to head back so we didn't miss the bus back to Delaware. All in all, it was a pretty fun night. I got to experience casino gambling, got to see the ocean (which I hadn't yet seen), and I got to hang out on Atlantic City's famous boardwalk for a few hours.

Delaware itself might be boring, but it's right in the middle of everything. In the time it takes for us to drive to San Antonio, they can drive all over the place. D.C., Baltimore, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston. Despite being here five weeks, we're only here four weekends.

And even though I'm ready to go home, I actually wish there was more time for travelling. Too bad they actually expect me to work while I'm here.

Delaware - Part Six

This isn't really going to be Delware-related. So if you were expecting more about Drew's adventures in Delaware, you're going to have to wait at least two blog entries (this one and my next one, which will be about my adventure in Atlantic City).

So the Rangers are in the World Series. I've neglected to talk about it intentionally because the one time I blogged during a game was the 8th inning against the Yankees in game one. That was, of course, the inning where the Rangers collapsed and almost screwed up the whole series.

But with the Rangers down 2 games to 1 (and losing tonight's game 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth), I'm not as worried about superstition. In fact, I stopped worrying about superstition as soon as Kinsler's 5th inning hit in game two somehow had enough backspin to come *back* onto the field in game two. Sometimes some force is against you. Call it God, call it the "sports gods", call it fate, call it anything. Something is against the Rangers in this series.

(Speaking of that, another two bad calls in a row and the Rangers are down in the sixth).

But it isn't the Rangers. I think it's just the DFW area.

Around the time I reached sports consciousness, the Cowboys were hitting their stride. They won three Super Bowls before I turned 12, and they continued to tease us for a couple of years after that. As soon as the Cowboys' dynasty looked dead, I started following the Stars. Two years after I started watching them, they won the Stanley Cup. They were back the year after that, but it seemed like a trend.

The Cowboys had won. Then the Stars took over. And I started waiting for the next team to win something. Would it be the resurgent Mavericks, led by young owner Mark Cuban and German superstar Dirk Nowitzki? Or the Texas Rangers, who had free agent Alex Rodriguez and a bright future? Or my new team, the TCU Horned Frogs. Or would the Cowboys or Stars regain their 90s glory?

Nope. The Mavericks tried to run and gun their way to a title under Don Nelson and failed. Then they reached the Finals under Avery Johnson but collapsed behind bad officiating and questionable focus. A 67-win season the following year was met with a 1st-round exit. Since then, the team hasn't really been close to a title.

The Cowboys struggled for the first half of the decade, and they were brought back into the talk by Bill Parcells. They're frequently discussed as a Super Bowl favorite, but they only have one playoff win since the Millennium. And since they're now 1-6, they're officially dead in the water.

The Stars were strong at the beginning of the 2000s, but they were never able to reach the top of the mountain again. They ran into a hot goalie in 2003 and couldn't get passed the Red Wings a couple of years ago. And recently, they've missed the playoffs.

TCU has had great teams since I arrived on campus in 2002, but they've never been able to get over the hump. Every year, they've had a terrible loss that messed up their chances at reaching their ultimate goal (Southern Miss, SMU, Utah, etc.). Last year, they finally made it to a BCS game, but they choked and lost to Boise State. Their season goes on the line Saturday in a winner-take-all game against Utah.

Which brings me to the Rangers.

The A-Rod signing was a disaster, and the team eventually sunk into debt. Only recently has the team actually found its legs, trying to build the team through pitching and youth. Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan have done a great job building this team, and they've become a force in the American League. And this season, they captured the hearts of the Metroplex with a run to the World Series...something no one else was expecting this early.

And now down 3-0 in the bottom of the 7th, things are looking grim for the good guys. And, yeah, there's a chance that they'll be back...but I thought the same thing about the Cowboys. And the Stars. And the Mavericks.

The point is that this city hasn't won a championship since 1999. With a team in each of the four major sports, it's almost unheard of. Here's a list of cities that have won championships since 2000, with the city's number of teams in parentheses.

New York (9) - 5

Denver (4) - 1

Detroit (4) - 3

Tampa (3) - 2

Raleigh (1) - 1

Los Angeles (6) - 7

Pittsburgh (3) - 3

Chicago (5) - 2

Phoenix (4) - 1

Miami (4) - 2

Boston (4) - 6

St. Louis (3) - 2

Philadelphia (4) - 1

Baltimore (2) - 1

Indianapolis (2) - 1

New Orleans (2) - 1

San Antonio (1) - 3

Only four cities, outside of Dallas, have four or more teams with no championship since 2000. Atlanta (4), Washington, DC (4), and Minneapolis (4) haven't won recently, and the Bay Area (6 teams in the area) is also title-less...for the next few days.

And it really sucks. Tampa Bay shouldn't have two more titles than Dallas. The Carolina Hurricanes shouldn't have more championships than all of Dallas' teams combined.

And what sucks is that two of the four teams have *never* won. The Rangers and Mavericks have about 70 years of play and nothing to show for it. The Cowboys have their 5 Super Bowls, and Stars have their one Stanley Cup. That's it.

And I don't know what the reason behind the drought is. The American Airlines Center is usually thrown around as cursed, since neither the Stars or Mavs have won since it was built. And while I guess it could affect the Rangers and Cowboys by proximity, I don't think that's the case. Laura Miller's parade route can be blamed for jinxing the Mavs in the 2006 series against the Heat, but it wouldn't necessarily explain any of the other team's failures.

Bad play? Bad coaching? Bad management? Good "real" reasons but not solid superstitions.

I don't know, but it looks bad. With the Rangers' defeat, the face an offseason where they could lose their top two starters and their cleanup hitter. The Cowboys are 1-6 and are still run by a guy who has no idea what he's doing, even if he fires his fatass coach. The Mavs are good but not good enough to win a championship. And the Stars are too inconsistent, even in a wide-open NHL, to do much damage.

So no championship in 2010 and the future doesn't look great either. I don't know what the city did to deserve this kind of sports-related torture, but I wish some gypsy would come through town and lift this curse.

Delaware - Part Five

Quick! When you think of food from this place, what do you think of?

Baltimore?

Crab cakes.

Chicago?

Pizza

Philadelphia?
Cheesesteaks

Kansas City?

Barbecue

Delaware?

Um...Chili's?

I've discovered something. Delaware has no identity. And if it does, it might be "banking" - which is pretty sad because I don't think that's a personality.

In my two weeks here (today is my two-week mark), I've eaten at the following places:

- The hotel - breakfast is free here everyday and dinner is free Monday-Wednesday

- My room - I have a kitchen and have cooked a few times

- The JPM Cafeteria - The food isn't as bad as my companions seem to think it is, but it is "blah."

- The mall - It's close to work and has a few choices. But since most of them are fast food places and I don't eat there, I've eaten Chinese food there each time.

- A ghetto Chinese food restaurant - It's in the ghetto. The place is also kinda ghetto

- Various other chain restaurants

Nothing particularly Mom and Pop and definitely nothing overly "Delaware." The only seafood we've had so far is Red Lobster. From what I can tell, they don't really have it here. And the places that have it apparently suck.

And from what I can tell, that's pretty much the vibe here. As I've said, no one that works here lives here, but no one really has any restaurants to recommend. The only place they recommended was a steak house that was overpriced and pretty "meh." It's hard to come from Texas and appreciate an out-of-town steakhouse, though.

I'd still like to try and find someplace good and local. Maybe I can try the Interwebs. Possibly even the Unterwebs.

But I figured I'd be safe when we spent Sunday in Philadelphia. I returned from my brief trip home, and since Delaware doesn't have an airport, I landed in Philly. Since we wanted to spend a day there anyway, we decided to check it out. My new manager wanted to try a real Philly cheesesteak, and I was okay giving it a shot.

So they picked me up and we headed there. Right across the street from each other are Pat's and Geno's....both "legendary" for their cheesesteaks.

They both have the same system. You order outside, they hand you your sandwich at one window and you order your sides/drinks at a separate window (you also pay separately...and only cash is accepted). The only places to sit are inside.

They also have the same system of ordering. Since they basically only do one thing, it's pretty simple. Want onions? Say "with" or "wit". Don't? Say "without" or "witout".

Then you pick your cheese. American and provolone are offered, but the "true Philly way" is to order it with Cheez Wiz. And that's real and apparently the only way to eat one.

And because I was in Rome, I did what the Romans do. I got a "wit Wiz" at both places. And, honestly, I thought both were overrated. They were fine, and I didn't "not enjoy" them. But it wasn't something I'd go out of my way for. I think Texadelphia and Jersey Mikes actually make a better cheesesteak, and they're both really close to my apartment. Philly? Not so much.

So, overall, the food here just hasn't been all that great. We went to a wing bar near the University of Delaware that isn't bad, and there's a beer here called Yeungling that's pretty good because it doesn't taste like beer. But other than that, it's bland and sometimes expensive (Chili's was $2-4 more per item than back home).

Delaware - Part Four

So when I found out I was coming to Delaware, I knew I was going to need my own entertainment. And so I had a few ideas:

1. I would bring my laptop with some movies. I even considered going out and buying the first season of a show like Modern Family - something I'd never seen before - to keep me going while I was here.

2. Tucker offered to lend me his slingbox so that I could watch local TV (including local sports) on my laptop.

3. If all else failed, I could at least watch shows on Hulu.

Nope. Strike three, I'm out.

1. I didn't bring any DVDs. That's my bad. But because options 2 and 3 exist, I didn't really worry about it.

2. I tried to connect to the Slingbox, but it won't connect. It tells me to try again, and it still doesn't work. I tried it three days in a row...and nothing. I'm not sure if it wasn't set up properly, or maybe the hotel internet just isn't good enough to support it.

Which brings me to...

3. The f-ing hotel internet is terrible. And it actually just became terrible in the last couple of days. It might be that I'm at the end of the complex and far away from wherever the signal comes from. Or maybe there are just a couple hundred people using it at the same time. But I've been trying to watch a show on Hulu for an hour and a half, and I'm only successfully through 15 minutes.

For the first few days, I was able to watch a lot of things. But now it takes about 5 minutes to watch a 30-second clip on youtube.

Luckily, the Rangers have been entertaining me enough for the last couple of days. But when this run ends (positively or negatively), I'm going to want to watch something online. And if this internet doesn't get any better, this trip is going to suck a whole lot more.

But I think it's just that Delaware sucks. I actually get no signal at work. In fact, I actually got a "no service" message on my phone the other day - something that's never happened to me before. You'd think on the "wonderful" East Coast - the greatest place on Earth - that signal reception would be great all over the place.

Oh, Texas...how I miss thee.

Delaware - Part Three

I've never really lived out of a suitcase. The longest time I've ever spent in a hotel was less than a week, and this "trip" is going to be 4-5 times longer than that. I've never been in one long enough to put away my clothes into the hotel closet, and I've definitely never been in one long enough to do laundry. I've also never cooked in a hotel before.

Today, I've done all three.

It's a bit odd that it took me about five days to get everything put away, but I actually took everything out of the bags the first night I was there. I was just using the couch as my chest of drawers...not the actual chest of drawers and closet.

But, since today is my first lazy day since I got here, I decided it was time. I also didn't bring enough undershirts or underwear to go another day without doing laundry, so I took care of that as well.

Remember that the hotel put me at the far end of this complex, and the laundry room is int he middle of it. So I woke up this morning, after I threw all my worn clothes into a bag, and I walked down to the laundry room. Even though we've been to the grocery store and Target, I hadn't bought detergent. Luckily, on my way to the room, I ran into one of my coworkers who kindly lent me some.

At home, I typically do laundry over the course of a Sunday. Today, I didn't really have that kind of time. The walk to and from the laundry room isn't terrible, but it is annoying so I decided to have breakfast while I waited for my first load to wash. I was able to do my second load while I finished up breakfast, and then I set up the dryer.

And that's when I made the mistake. It was a dollar in coins to run the dryer, and I paid for it. My clothes were already inside, and as soon as I inserted the coins, the "in use" light came on. I thought the machine was on (it sounded like it was), and I even touched the side to see if it was vibrating.

Since the dryer takes about 40 minutes, I decided to walk back to my room for a bit. When I came back, I noticed that my clothes were still wet. Very wet. I didn't have that many clothes in there, and it was almost like it hadn't run.

That's because it hadn't. I noticed there was a "push to start" button on the dryer that I hadn't pressed. And since I'd waited so long, my dollar expired. Not exactly my brightest moment.

But it gets better. When I got back to the room to fold my clean clothes, I realized that three socks were missing. I had to go back to the laundry room again to get my three socks back.

So I walked to the laundry room. Ran the washing machine and ate breakfast. Came back to the room to wait for the dryer. Went back to the laundry room, noticed that dryer hadn't even run, and actually set it to dry. Walked back to the room again. Went back to the laundry room to get the dry clothes. Walked back to the room. And, finally, went back to the laundry room to get my three socks before I returned to the room for the final time.

First time wasn't the charm.

After all that walking, I was hungry again. While I forgot to buy detergent at the store, I didn't forget to buy food. I bought some burger patties, and I decided to have one of them for lunch. I pulled out one of the pans, and realized that I didn't have any vegetable oil.

And instead of doing the right thing and just eating something else, I decided to go with it. The meat had its own juices, and I was sure that the pan would be fine.

Wrong.

I knew immediately that there was a problem as the meat stuck to the pan as soon as it hit. And then, as I was passed the point of no return, I struggled with it as the meat cooked. And while the burger cooked and was eaten, the pan is a bit of a mess.

Two pretty dumb mistakes on the same day. But, again, it's my first time.

Delaware - Part Two

Delaware is just about as interesting as you think it is. There's not a whole lot to do here, but there are apparently a lot of reasons to live here. I found out, almost immediately, that Delaware doesn't have a sales tax. Most major chains hike up the prices of food to compensate, but you can find major ways to save money. And according to one of the guys in the office, Delaware is great for retirees.

But what's funny is that the office is that few people actually live in the same city as the office. In fact, most of them don't live in the state. I know one who lives in Philadelphia, and the main boss lives in Maryland. Which is funny because he says his daily drive in takes about 20 minutes.

That's how long mine is.

Tonight is Friday night, but our group isn't really doing much. In fact, most of the natives laughed at the idea of doing anything fun nearby. Apparently the University of Delaware is close, and we can go over there for a bit of the college-type experience.

But, for the most part, our plans for the weekend are out of town. Philadelphia. New York. Maybe Atlantic City.

And I know that most of the country thinks their city is boring. But, usually, it takes more than a couple of days for a visitor to conclude this.

Delaware - Part One

Delaware happened. There was nothing I could do about it, and it was set up before anything could be done. Like I said in a previous post, my biology teacher was willing to work around my schedule, and since that was my primary concern, things worked out as well as they could.

I still had two concerns, though:

1. My flight to Delaware left at 6:35am. My group wanted us to be there at 5am. That meant waking up at or about 4am. Considering I had my last class on the night before, it meant I was going to be going on a ridiculously tiny amount of sleep. That was not okay.

2. "Three weeks...probably less" turned into an entire month. October 12 to November 12. In Delaware. With people I don't really know. Two weeks could be a really nice getaway. Four weeks could be considered punishment.

I've been in Delaware for about two days, and neither of my concerns ended up being that bad. I still have virtually no ability to sleep on a plane, but the people in Delaware had mercy on us upon our arrival and didn't make us work. Which is good because we were basically zombies.

The JPM building is actually pretty nice. There's a pretty cool cafeteria in the building, and there's a bald eagle nest next to one of the buildings. I actually saw one of them (pretty far away but it was still cool).

Today was mostly training. The only interesting thing was eating at Jimmy Buffet's "Cheeseburger in Paradise" restaurant, which was surprisingly good.

My hotel is pretty nice, although they've put me at the far end of the facility. And it's more "motel-style" than hotel-style (where you enter your room from the street) - and I prefer the latter.

But there's a full kitchen, two beds, a living area (complete with fireplace), and two pretty nice TVs. If I have to live in Delaware for a month, I guess this isn't a bad place to do it. I'll try to put up some pictures at some point, either here or Facebook.

So that's it. I'm here and alive and working. Two more days of work before the weekend, but I don't think we have anything big planned. Which should be okay, I think we're all just ready to relax a bit...something we really haven't gotten to do since we got here.

Two more notes, though:

1. The Rangers won last night. Really excited about that. The Rangers were my first love, even before the Cowboys, and even though they broke my heart at a young age, it was still cool to see them win. They're just 4 wins away from the World Series and only 8 wins away from a championship. With only 4 playoff wins for the whole franchise, it's way too early to be thinking about that. But one can hope.

2. The Internet here sucks. I was able to stream shows on Hulu (and it was okay), but I haven't been able to get the Slingbox to work yet. Come on hotel that I'm not paying for...you have to do better.

An Assignment

This might get a bit sappy, but I'm going to do it anyway. I want all of you to do something, and I think it will make us all feel better.

Think of a friend. Not an acquaintance or a coworker or just someone you hang out with. Think of a friend. Someone you would do just about anything for. Someone you quickly call when something good happens and someone you call even more quickly when something bad happens. The person you call when you get tickets to something. The person you think of when you see something really funny, knowing instantly that he or she will find it just as funny.

Think of the person you trust your secrets with. Good, bad, or embarrassing. Think of the person you're willing to be honest with - sometimes even more honest than with yourself. The person you'll be talking to and realize you're spilling your heart out to, whether you intended to or not. Think of the person you would miss the most if you were separated.

I hope each of you has a person like that. And if you do, be thankful. Those types of bonds are unfortunately rare but infinitely priceless. And if you get a chance, let them know that you care.

I'm sure they feel the same way about you.

Update

1. I've come to terms with going to Delaware. I'm set to go October 12, and I'm set to come back November 12. It should be good for me to get away, and I should be able to get around and see some things while I'm there. I'm close to Philadelphia and Baltimore and New York - so there will be opportunity.

2. As far as school goes, my professor told me that there was a chance this could work out. According to tonight's class, our second class should be right before I leave. If timing holds, I might not miss another exam. I'm actually going to miss five labs, and I'm not sure if he'll be okay with that. But I let him know that I'm willing to work with him, and he seemed like it wasn't impossible. He's also making me sit through two more weeks of class...so hopefully he won't screw me over and tell me it won't work.

3. Sports-wise, I'm going to miss a lot. I'm gonna miss the Stars' opener and a bunch of their first games. If the Rangers make it passed the first round of the playoffs, I will miss all their home games. I'll obviously be gone for any Cowboys' games. And, as far as TCU goes, I'm going to miss a lot. I'll be gone for four games. Among them are the three biggest games left on the schedule - BYU, Air Force, and Utah. Utah's on the road, but I'll be watching it alone in Delaware unless I can find some TCU folk. Air Force and BYU are at home, and I've inquired about my own ability to fly home for a weekend to see one of them - it isn't economical or reasonable to try and get home for both. I'm thinking Homecoming for Air Force is my best bet, but we'll see if it's allowed. Either way, I'm going to miss a lot.

4. All in all, I think things are going to be okay. The hotel has free wi-fi, and Tucker says that I might be able to borrow his slingbox. So there's a chance things could work out...we'll just have to see.

5. I haven't mentioned an update on my car situation. Well, I probably won't...since I bought a new car and it was totaled on Friday. A kid made a big mistake and almost killed me, and now I have to go through more insurance company BS. And when I get back (or maybe before I go), I'm going to have to get another car. It really sucks.

6. I bought tickets to see the Heat play the Mavs in November. I had to buy tickets to two other games, but it should be fun to see them play. Even though I hate them.

7. The Rangers won the AL West. The Cowboys finally won their first game and might have turned things around. And TCU is 4-0. Things is good.

Delaware

Everything was going according to plan. I had the new job upstairs, and I was already winding down my work. Everyone was told that I was leaving, and everyone seemed happy and/or jealous. Then my boss comes up to me.

"I hear you'll be leaving us."

"Yes, I will."

"And I hear you'll get a nice trip to Delaware. That will be fun."

Oh crap. Delaware.

I'd completely forgotten about it. And this wasn't a shock to me because I had been told about it. As soon as I heard about the job, I was told that it required training in Delaware. There was no tricking involved whatsoever - I'd just forgotten.

The job requires four weeks of training in Delaware. I would start the job around October 7, and training in Delaware would begin October 12. So, in less than a month, I'm going to have to be in Delaware.

The problem? I have a lot of things that I have to do here. TCU will play two home games during the four weeks I'm supposed to be gone - against BYU and Air Force - the two biggest in-conference home games...and it isn't even close.

The Stars, of which I'm also a season ticket holder, will have played four home games during the time I'm gone - including their home opener against Mike Modano and the Red Wings.

And last but certainly not least, I'm taking biology at Brookhaven right now, and I'd have to miss three or four weeks of school. Enough that I'd have to seriously consider dropping the class.

My heart literally fell of my chest. This job movement was something I was excited about, as I illustrated last blog. It was something I'd wanted and hoped for. And I'd completely forgotten about this particular catch.

Because I don't necessarily have a problem with a trip to Delaware. Sure, it's in the middle of nowhere, but I'd be living 8-year-old Drew's fantasy of living out of a hotel. I'd get out to meet new people, and I'd be a short train ride away from Philadelphia. I also called our friend Shep about potentially meeting up in Baltimore, which is also only about 70 miles away. I might even get to go to New York City, which is only about 120 miles away.

But there's so much to do here. I don't want to miss BYU or Air Force. I don't want to miss seeing Mike Modano show back up in Dallas in the hated sweater of the Red Wings.

But mostly, I don't want to have to drop this class. I was originally set to take two classes this semester - Biology and Chemistry II. My chemistry class was cancelled because not enough people signed up. I was a little worried about falling behind because I'd only be taking one. This would be even worse.

Because the goal is to get these classes done as soon as possible and get into a master's program. I don't want to waste time, and this would be wasted time, for sure.

So the plan is to go and talk to the new boss tomorrow night and see what can be done. I'm going to lay it all out and see if he can help me out. If it can be avoided entirely, that's the goal. If not, then I'd look to be there the minimum amount of time. He told me that it'd be three or four weeks. If I can negotiate down to two, that might be okay.

Either way, step two would be to talk to my biology professor. See if there's anything he can do to help me. I don't know if there's makeup labs that I can do or extra credit I can try and get. I'm willing to read the book while I'm gone so I don't fall behind, and I'm willing to do whatever I can before and after to make sure that I get full credit for the class.

But if it's four weeks, that's going to be hard to do. That's four weeks where I'd miss labs, lecture, quizzes, lab practicals, and exams. It's almost more trouble to make it up than to just retake the class. Two weeks would be better but maybe even impossible there.

So we'll see. If I have to go, I have to go. Whether I like it or not, this job has to be my main priority. It funds my life and pays for all of the stuff I'm doing right now, including class. They're taking a risk on me, and I have to make good on it. It's both the right and the responsible thing to do. And sometimes, you just can't have your cake and eat it too.

And I can make it work. Maybe I can travel a bit on the weekends. Maybe I'll meet some cool people and shake myself out of the routine we all get in. Maybe I can fly back to catch one of the games as a treat to myself for going. And maybe I can get a slingbox hooked up so I can watch anything important on my laptop at the hotel.

So I can make it work. But if I can have my cake and eat it too, I'd like to do that.

Escape

Let's be honest. I've alluded to it several times here, and most of my friends are pretty sure of it. And that's that my job is...challenging. And I don't mean the work itself. There are factors that are tied to my job that make things more difficult than they need to be. And because of that, I haven't necessarily been happy where I am.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I heard about an opening in my building. It would be working for the guys that hired me originally, and it'd be a similar job to what I'm doing. In fact, the job is basically the same.

But from what I've heard, it will be better. I know a guy who made the same movement, and he said it was a good idea for me. Less of the things that I dislike about my current job are present, and more of the things that I like about the job (freedom, I suppose) are.

I'm going to miss the people. Most of these people have been work-close with me for almost three years now. The weird thing about the people you work with is that you spend more time with them than most of the people in your life. Whether you like them or not, you're around them a lot. So while I don't spend much time outside of work with them, I do spend a lot of time with and around them.

And, for the most part, the people are the best part of the job. There are some people there that I'd probably be pretty good friends with outside of work, and they're fun to joke around with.

But at the end of the day, I had to make this move. I'm on my way out of the business, but I still have a lot of time left. And I don't want it to be horrible for the next year or two.

And when it became official, I was happy. I think that was the key thing to me. You find out about the decisions you make when they come to a head - and I felt happy when mine did.

A lot of things in my life are new. A new car, a new laptop, and a new job. I'm hoping that more new things will come, but that's something I'll have to keep working on.

Ugh...College Football Predictions*

1. Boise State will win out and go to the BCS National Championship

2. Kellen Moore will break the NCAA record for passing yards and passing touchdowns.

3. Kellen Moore will win the Heisman Trophy

4. Boise State will win the BCS National Championship

* Because this is what would make me the most upset.

Reasons for Optimism

1. I got a new car. It is used (a shade under 40,000 miles), but it's basically the same car I had. In fact, it's actually a bit nicer than the car I had. I have a lower payment and will pay it off in about the same time. And, yes, I'm covered way better in case of another theft. I'm happy things mostly have worked out.

2. Football season is about to start but baseball is still going. The Rangers are still in first place, TCU is ranked #6 in college football, and the Cowboys are one of the favorites to go to the Super Bowl. I'm excited about football but still in a baseball mode. It's been a really long time since that's happened, and it's pretty cool. Usually football saves the day. This year, I'm actually not ready for it.

3. School started again. I'm one step closer to being done with my job.

4. I'm learning a bit. I decided to go for the steak instead of hoping it's delivered to me. And I'm much more accepting of a nice hamburger.

5. For the longest time, there were no choices. Now there are. I'm not saying my odds are any better, but choices are better than no choices.

6. We finally made money on the lottery. I thought we'd made $3, but we made $9. Now if we can just start adding zeroes.

7. I saw a double rainbow...all the way across the sky!!!

Awe. Some

The other night, Keely called and told me that she was invited to Michael Young's suite for a Ranger game. She said that she couldn't go so she talked to Cristina, Michael Young's wife, and she said to send Tucker with a couple of friends...and then Keely could show up whenever. And Keely offered the extra tickets to me and Ashley...and we were really excited.

A couple minutes later, Keely called again. She said she was really embarrassed and even more sorry, but that she'd misread the email and that Cristina was only offering one more ticket. Only one of us would get to go.

Keely sounded really upset about it, but we tried to convince her that one ticket to Michael Young's suite was way...way...way better than no tickets. Two tickets would've been cool, but we'll take one any day of the week. So I offered to flip a coin with Ashley, but he actually said I could go. After telling him that I wasn't about to argue with him, he nodded and I was in.

One problem...the game was also the same night of my first day of school. I'm taking Biology as a night class, and I didn't want to miss the first night of school. I offered Ashley the ticket, but he said he was already going with some friends. Tucker didn't have anyone else to invite (or maybe just wanted to go with me) so he said he'd wait for me.

I assumed that the first day of school would be going over the syllabus and that's it. After all, that's what happened last semester in chemistry. But an hour into reading the syllabus, it wasn't looking good. I was already gonna be late to the game, and I was going to have to drive straight there because I'd sent Tucker already.

And then the professor told us to open our books. The bastard was going to start his lecture. So, around the time the game was going to start, I started taking notes on biology. It was all elementary stuff, but I was sitting in the front row (I don't know why) and couldn't just walk out.

So 7:45 rolls around, and I dart out of there. It's already the bottom of the third, and I race to the stadium. I finally get there around the top of the fifth, and I realize that, if you come to the game that late, parking is free. Good to know, I guess. So I park and run (in 100+ degree heat) to the stadium.

I call Tucker. No answer. I text him. Nothing. I call again. Nothing. So I'm standing outside the stadium in the fifth inning, and I'm wondering what's going on. Is Tucker involved in some awesome conversation? Is he ignoring me? Punishing me for coming late? Where is he?

He finally calls me, and he says that he's gotten none of my calls or texts. He later told me that, as soon as he hung up, they all popped up. Well, he came and got me, and we went up to the suite.

And there I was...in Michael Young's suite. Michael Young, for the record, has been my favorite Ranger for a really long time. He was always such a consistent hitter and great defensive player, and those are traits that I've always admired because it's the way I played. So even when he was a second baseman that no one had heard of, I really liked him. Then the whole moving to shortstop thing was really cool...and signing long term...and then moving over to third...he's just a class act.

The first guy I meet is Michael's dad. I tell him that his son is my favorite player. "Mine too," the dad said with a smile. I'm sure he gets that a lot, but I wanted him to know anyway. It was a suite so food was provided. I grabbed a hot dog and a sliders, and I watched a little of the game. I missed about half the game, but it was still a lot of fun. Rich Harden had a no hitter through 6 and 2/3 innings, and he actually left the game with the no hitter. That was pretty cool.

And I got to meet Cristina, who was really sweet and kind. And Tucker got to talk to her for a few minutes so maybe she can arrange some kind of playdate between Michael and Tucker. Which would, of course, evolve into Michael Young becoming our fourth for Halo. I mean, it'd have to...right?

All in all, it was just awesome. The low point in the night was when Jon Daniels ignored me. I saw him sitting by himself in the next suite, and I called to him a couple of times. He didn't say anything or turn around at all...so either he heard me and was ignoring me or he was too focused to hear me. I'd prefer to think the latter, but it's probably the former. No big deal...I was just gonna thank him for doing such a great job.

So thanks to Cristina Barbosa and the Douglases for a great night. It's definitely something I won't forget for a while.

Spooky

So I just made a connection and realized that my car getting stolen fits in with the recurring theme that's resonating through 2010. That is really, really strange. And not necessarily a good sign.

Unless the sign is a warning and not an indication.

Dear Altima

Dear Altima,

I know we had a bit of a dysfunctional relationship for the two and a half years that I owned you. The circumstances surrounding your purchase led to some mixed feelings and emotions on my part, and even though that was outside your control, I still held it against you. But, at the end of the day, you were a really good car.

And last night, I really missed you for the first time. My rental Kia is fine, and it can get me from point A to point B. But outside of that, the Kia is nothing compared to you. Your leather seats are better than its cloth. Your XM radio is better than its regular (crappy) radio. Your backup camera and navigation are better than its nothing.

And because of you, I've raised my standards for what I expect out of my next car. I'm going to try and get one close to what you were. I realize that I'll be setting myself up for the same tragic end to our relationship, but it's a risk I'm willing to take because I know what I want now. I want you, but that seems to be impossible. So I'll just try to find the closest thing to you.

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, can you come back? I've changed. I will buy you the most expensive, beautiful alarm system that money can buy. I promise to never take you for granted again, and I will love you as much as I did when we first met.

If not, can you at least blow yourself up, killing those responsible for your theft?


Love,
Drew

iPhone

Today...on August 16, 2010...I got an iPhone. I caved in after years of fighting it, mostly because my phone only survived for about five minutes on it's current battery. And rather than spend more money on a new battery or get AT&T's free phone again, I decided to just go ahead and get one.

The only reason I decided not to get the iPhone was because I didn't want to be like everyone else. To me, there's something about not following the trend of the day. To watch everyone run off and do something and not do it for that very reason. But I think I made that fight. I held out for about as long as I could. It made sense to get the phone, and I did it.

Quick review - it's pretty cool. It's a little heavier than I'm used to, and it's actually harder to type than on my previous phone (which had the full keyboard). But it's fun to have the facebook ap, to have youtube whenever I want it, and to have all the cool games.

I guess, for today, I can be okay with being like everyone else.

Some Good Thoughts

1. Tucker, Ashley, and I are going to DC this weekend. Tucker and Ashley leave tomorrow, but I won't leave until Friday night because I couldn't get off work. It will suck to lose a couple days with the guys, but it will still be a really cool trip. Looking forward to it.

2. My Chem II class was cancelled because, apparently, there was only one other person in the class with me. After thinking about it long and hard, I decided to just take the $100+ refund and just take Biology this semester. I'll take Chem II and Biology II in the spring when I have less car issues and football distractions to worry about. The fact that I spent $200 on required textbooks (and I actually got them at a pretty good discount) probably didn't hurt.

3. There's the new one and the old one. Not sure how I feel about either.

4. I don't think my car situation is as bad as I thought it would be. It still sucks, but I think I'm going to come out of it positively. I think I've decided to take this as a bit of a rebirth. We'll see how long that optimism lasts.

5. First place Texas Rangers. Cowboys in Super Bowl discussions. TCU getting ready to start their season with high hopes. Sports = good right now.

So Angry

I am pissed off. I am sad. I am angry. I am disappointed. I am confused. I am furious. I am depressed.

I bought my car on New Year's Day 2008. It had been about two months since I'd found my new job, and I was excited. I needed a navigation system because I tend to get lost. Because of that, I apparently got a little bit of everything. XM Radio. Leather seats. Rear-view camera.

I was proud of it. It was the only big purchase of my life, and it was something that I'd earned with years of hard work.

Thursday night, it was stolen. All that work is gone. All my pride is gone. And I'm going to have to pay for it.

So far, 26 has been awesome.

Please Explain

My car was stolen this morning. Can someone please explain to me why I should have any faith in humanity at all?

Going Back

In thinking about things, I decided to write this amendment to yesterday's blog. I've thought a lot about the past in my life, and I even brought up the movie "The Butterfly Effect" in my ramblings last night. I think it would be a fascinating ability....to pick and choose moments in your life and work to re-write them.

But you almost forget that the movie is a bit of a horror film. The protagonist decides to go back and fix the past, but he ends up screwing it up even worse each time.

So if you had the ability to go back in time, would you do it? Considering that, whether you stay back in the past or jump to the present, your life is going to be drastically different. You might go back and recapture love with the girl that got away, but what about the people in your life now that you never would've met if you'd ended up with her?

Let's take a moment and talk about a significant moment in my life - my dad's death. If I went back and prevented that, I would save myself a lot of pain and anguish. But that happened 16 years ago in 1994. I wasn't even 10 years old yet. Independence Day hadn't even been released yet.

I've told my friends that, if he hadn't died, I would've been a much different person. I was the popular kid the year before he died - I had a lot of confidence and friends. His death changed all of that and molded me into the person that I am today. But what if I'd stayed on the path? Would I have become the stereotypical HP kid? Would I have been the frat guy? Where would I be working? Who would I be friends with? What would I be doing at this very moment?

Let's do something more simple and less drastic. When I was a kid, I was given the choice between playing chamber baseball and getting a Sega Genesis. I'm a pretty good athlete that has never been molded into a great athlete. If I'd chosen chamber baseball, there's a chance I could've been really good at high school baseball. Maybe even college baseball.

If that happens, I never work at journalism, which was a direct result of my giving up on baseball. And even if I go to TCU, I never work at the Skiff. And since I met Ashley at the Skiff, I probably never meet him. Since I met Tucker through Ashley, I never meet him or Keely. I never meet Tim or Woody, who I also met as a result of meeting Ashley or working at the Skiff.

There go most of my current friends. Because I chose the Sega Genesis, I met all the friends I know now. Something like that changes everything for a person. Tucker and Ashley might have met, but how would their lives be different without me?

Let's give myself a little more control over the situation. Let's say that I can go back and remember everything that happened. I can go to TCU and meet Ashley, Tim, Woody, and all my TCU friends. I'd still have to wait at least eight years to do so. And when I meet him, I'd still have to pretend to never have met him. And it's not like I can tell him that I traveled through time from a place where we were roommates. And then it's another five or so years before I meet Tucker, who's in Austin or Abilene the whole time.

Not only that, think about pop culture. Think about all the music, movies, and TV shows that didn't exist in 1994. One of my favorite movies, The Dark Knight, wouldn't be released for another 14 years. In fact, I'd have to sit through Batman Forever and Batman and Robin before we even got to the Christopher Nolan movies.

And I'd have to wait 11 years before anyone even heard of LOST. That, in itself, might drive me crazy.

So, yeah, it'd be nice to go back and give yourself another chance at certain things. But would it be worth your entire current life? Your friends, your hobbies, and your favorite things? It's a question none of us are ever going to face, but I think it's something interesting to think about.

Regret

I think I have two major personality weaknesses that are holding me down, and I think they're tied together.

1. Lack of foresight. I have an amazing ability to ignore potentially huge moments in my life, and a criminal misunderstanding of the significance of certain moments.

2. In spite of #1 (or maybe because of it), I have an unnatural obsession with those moments after I comprehend how massive they were.

I've been thinking a lot about a moment in my life that didn't seem that big at the time. It was just a normal night, and nothing special happened. And, of course, that's the problem and that's the point. Maybe something was supposed to happen, and now I sit and torture myself with questions of "what if?"

And I start to ask myself questions. If this singular moment was so important, why didn't I realize it at the time? And then I ask myself another question: did I know it was important and choose to do nothing about it?

As most of you probably know, my memory is pretty screwed up. I don't remember certain things, and I have a problem holding on to certain memories. But this memory I'm talking about is in pristine condition. I can remember exactly where I was, and I can remember a significant chunk of it. I remember more of it than I remember tons of other things, and it makes me wonder if I recorded that moment for a reason. If my "memory gatekeeper" somehow knew to log this memory in the data banks for future use.

And that's when I think that maybe I understood completely what I was doing. But then again, I don't really think I'm that much of a self-defeating person. Or am I?

Either way, whether I understood the significance or not, I should be learning from these mistakes. For as much as I beat myself up about things that I do or don't do...for as much as I beg a higher power to place me back into those moments to give myself a chance to make things right...for as much as I've dreamed for a time machine or some kind of "Butterfly Effect"-like power to go back and alter a moment in history...you'd think that I'd be doing a better job of looking out for the next bit moment in my life.

But I find myself, relatively consistently, ignoring the moment as it's happening. And maybe it comes down to the fact that I just don't see things clearly when they're happening. That emotion (call it fear, anxiety, or whatever you like) gets in the way of realizing what's going on.

I don't take a lot of risks because I fear the consequences of failure. And, I believe, until I start discovering the significance of the moment, I'm going to continue to "fly" in the moment and "fight" with myself later.

I need to learn from my mistakes. To do my best to gain from the past instead of just mourning it. Otherwise, the yesterday's mistakes are going to be the same ones I'm going to repeat tomorrow. And considering that they're ruining today, I just can't afford to let that happen.

Happy Birthday to Me

Friday night was my birthday party (yes, I'm now 26), and it was pretty fun. Lane usually tries to throw something together because she's really outgoing. She decided that it would be fun to go to Top Golf and then head to Uptown for more drinks. That sounded good to me, and it was settled.

So Friday afternoon, my coworkers got some red velvet cupcakes that were delicious. It was a nice gesture that made me feel a little loved at work (and that almost never happens). After that, I headed home to meet up with the fellas (Tucker, Ashley, and a visiting Woody). Since dinner wasn't on Lane's agenda, the guys asked me what I wanted...and I chose a steak cooked by Ashley (one of the greatest things ever, by the way). It was nice of Tucker to oblige on this because he had literally just finished three weeks of being vegan. And steak is pretty close to being as anti-vegan as possible.

Anyway, the guys cooked steak, quail, and corn...and it was awesome. Woody tried to make new potatoes, but Ashley's stove just wasn't strong enough to do so. More on that later.

So after that, we headed to Top Golf. Ashley brought his clubs, being the only one who'd actually ever been there. We sat inside for a minute before my sister and her friend Bonner showed up. We got a table outside and were eventually joined by a few others (Keely, Claunch, Carrie, Tyler, and eventually Beau). We sat outside talking, and it was really nice and relaxing. They bought me drinks, and I got pretty drunk. Here's the tally:

1 Lay Me on the Green (like a hurricane)

1 Vodka and Diet Coke

1 Jager Bomb

1 fruity shot suggested by the cute waitress

1 can of shiner

1 firefly sweet tea

2 Jack and Cokes

1 Coors Light

I don't think there was any more in there, but it was a lot for me. Particularly with no water or food in between. Not as crazy as the previous two years, but that's probably as much alcohol as I usually have in a couple of months.

Anyway, we had such a good time outside that we decided to just skip the golf part. We were basically just enjoying some relatively good weather outside, talking with each other. It's always a bit odd when I do this kind of thing because there's just such a wide variety of people - people from work, from college, from later in life, and Lane's friends. But most of my friends (and all of the ones at the party) are pretty chill and get along with everyone.

After that, we headed to Uptown and had a couple of drinks. I was pretty drunk by this point (and getting old because I thought the music in there was disturbingly loud). The crowd whittled down pretty good, and we left about an hour later. I went to bed, and that was it.

Except that it wasn't. I was glad that we went out on Friday because Saturday (my actual birthday) was gone for me. I typically get pretty bad hangovers, and this one was about as bad as I've ever had. My usual hangover symptom is simply nausea...and that's exactly what attacked me on this day.

(Caution - nausea stuff is about to be discussed. You've been warned).

So I knew I was going to have a hangover...particularly when I still felt kinda drunk when I went to the bathroom in the morning. I had dry mouth so I tried to drink some water, but that was a pretty big mistake. As I was trying to get some more sleep (seven hours seemed to be my cap that night), I had to fight through going back and forth to the toilet. Two sips of water was sending my stomach through Hell - not a good sign.

Tired of sitting in bed feeling gross, I took a shower and went into the living room. I grabbed a Vitamin Water - thinking it'd be the best combination of water, vitamins, and flavor. My body vehemently disagreed with me.

I drank about a gulp and a half of the Vitamin Water over the course of about six hours, and I didn't keep any of it down. And I was epically vomiting too - too the point where absolutely nothing was left to throw up. I was miserable, and it really questioned why people drink. Why would you sacrifice an entire day in honor of a couple hours of fun? I guess people spend the day hungover and then go out as soon as it wears off...but that just doesn't sound fun at all.

By about 4pm, the worst was over. I still felt gross the rest of the night (and even some parts of today), and I consumed a shockingly low amount of food that day (about a half bottle of ginger ale and some of the potatoes from the night before). But luckily I felt better today...and was able to use today as a buffer day.

It sucks that I lost an entire day of my weekend because of one night of fun (especially since that lost day was my actual birthday), but I think it was probably worth it.

Thanks to all my friends who showed up for me. You guys rock.

Hot. Sports. Opinions.

Being at work is much worse than not being at work.

911

I'm a hero to high school girls.

No, really. About thirty minutes ago, I did the chivalrous thing and walked a couple of very thankful high school girls back to their car after a bit of an incident at Caruth Park. It wasn't much, but they made it seem liked I'd saved their lives or something. And that was kinda cool.

But let me start at the beginning. I was over at Caruth Park playing tennis with my friend Beth. We decided to wait until nightfall to play because it would be too hot when the Sun was out. It was still 95 degrees at 8pm, but we were able to play for about an hour without completely dying.

To start, there was this car that pulled up to the courts, and no one ever got out. They sat there for a good 20 minutes, thought about leaving, stayed a bit longer, and eventually drove off. That was weird, but it wasn't a huge deal.

Then said high school girls show up to play on the court beside us. And we're playing for a few minutes when a couple of guys sprint beside the court, behind the court, and into a little alleyway. It didn't seem entirely unusual - it did seem like one kid was chasing the other, but he had to have seen the four of us on the courts, and he made no plea for help. A couple minutes later, we heard some ruckus from the alleyway.

And then the lights went out at the park. It was about 9:15, and we tried to turn them back on to no avail. But as we were waiting to see if they'd come on again, there was more noise from the alley. It was obviously some kind of argument/fight between one kid and another, but we didn't hear anything from either of them.

So the girls were scared - it was dark, these two boys were fighting, and no one was around but myself and Beth. They stood by us for a second waiting to see what we'd do, and I asked if they wanted me to walk them back to their cars. They quickly accepted and thanked me for my kindness. It really wasn't anything...the car was simply outside the cage of the tennis court, in complete sight the entire time, and only a few yards away. No big deal.

But it was also kinda cool to be the guy and take charge and take that heroic role - I realize I didn't do anything, but it was still kinda cool.

So they drove off safely, and I went back to the court. I wasn't really sure what to do. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go over there (I couldn't see it from the court...and with the lights off, it was very dark over there) or just call the police. Considering I'm not really a fighter (and the fact that Beth was with me), I decided to just call 911 and have them send a car by. It was in University Park, and they could probably spare someone for a few minutes.

But as soon as I start calling, one of the guys runs out of the darkness towards us. We're still inside the cage of the court, and I hang up the phone. He tells us that a guy he knows tried to take his wallet. I ask if he needs us to call anyone, and he tells us that he doesn't.

So the Dallas 911 office calls me back because I dialed 911 and hung up. I tell them that I thought we needed help but that we didn't - after all, the apparent victim was standing in front of me, seemingly no worse for wear, and he wasn't asking for help.

He thanked me for not involving the police, and he called a friend who picked him up almost immediately. And so we left, and everything seemed to be fine.

But things were definitely strange:

1. I never saw the second kid after they sprinted passed the courts. He didn't chase after the kid when he came to the courts, and I didn't see him going anywhere else. As far as I know, he's still there.

2. Honestly, I don't know if the kid that came out of the area was the victim or not. I didn't recognize their voices, and I can't really remember if he was the one chasing or being chased. He seemed scared, but it might've been because he'd just jumped another kid.

3. The whole "don't call the cops" thing is always worrisome. He was really ambiguous on whether or not the other guy was a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. He implied all three in the two minutes we talked to him. If it was just a harmless fight between the two of them, I can see not wanting to involve the police. But he also escaped pretty quickly - which would make sense for either kid.

4. The whole thing took way too long for the kid's story to make sense. He said that the one kid tried to steal the other kid's wallet. The one kid ended up taking it and wouldn't give it back. The "victim" was able to fight off his attacker and put him in a choke hold, and then he ran off to us.

But here's the thing. The whole thing easily took 5-10 minutes. We saw them sprinting...played a bit more tennis...heard the commotion...played a bit more...then the lights went off...we checked on the lights...talked about it for a minute...I walked the girls back to their car...walked back to the court...talked to Beth about calling the police...and then tried calling them before the one kid emerged.

That doesn't sound like the kind of scuffle that we heard. That being said, I also have no idea what kind of scuffle it sounded like. The kid we saw was wearing an "HP Wresting" shirt, and seemed to be able to take care of himself. He didn't seem hurt - I saw no blood or bruising or redness, and we didn't hear anything resembling a fistfight.

But I still wonder if I should've asked more questions, checked out the scene myself, or told the police about it. But then I think about it, and I'm not sure. I could've asked more questions, but if he was lying, he would've continued to lie. I could've gone and checked it out, but it was dark and I had no idea what situation I was entering into. One of the kids could've had some kind of weapon, and it would've been difficult to fight them off if I walked in unprepared. And I could've told the police, but the one kid was just about to run off...and it wasn't like I knew anything anyway.

And I realized I'd never called 911 before - I grew up in the Park Cities, and it's never been necessary. And like those two high school girls, I expected the park to be safe...no matter what time of day it is.

I'm lucky to have lived in a place with that kind of security - where you can feel totally safe no matter what. But when something happens, it really throws you off balance.

But I think everyone ended up okay. The one kid who's unaccounted for is the alleged attacker, and I assume he's okay (unless the wrestling kid choked him to death...which I suppose is possible). It was a strange end to the night, but it's definitely something interesting to think and/or talk about.